Truth Lies Within A Scarlet Rose
by SilverMissi
Summary: Young Seras Victoria is living a horrid life in Romania. Walking home from school, Seras meets someone that will send her world spiraling. From that moment, her life had changed forever... Completely different take on Hellsing.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Just another wonderful day**

_RING! _The school bell gave its last call for the day as an eager crowd of children rushed through the doors. Seras Victoria skipped down the steps of her elementary school; jumping off the last one, and landing with a thud.

Like most Fridays she was eager to leave; sketchbook in hand, she began her walk home. Seras' sketchbook was her prized possession, she'd even personalized it with sparkly purple stars; drawing was her life. As far as talent went, she was no genius; but drawings held a deeper meaning. Looking at her you could not tell, but Seras' life was far from perfect; at the young age of eight, it demanded her to be more of an adult than a child. This was why she would draw; to help ease the suffering that plagued her mind.

As Seras made her way down the sidewalk, she paid close attention to her surroundings. It was about this time that Alexandru, Alin, and Andrei, or the "A team" as they like to call themselves, felt compelled to share their thoughts with her. She looked around cautiously; the area seemed clear, _**'Maybe today I won't be bothered by those losers,' **_she thought to herself.

"Hey look, its ugly face!"

Wishful thinking; Seras quickly turned to face the three boys, clinging to her sketchbook for dear life. "Leave me alone guys," she warned.

"Why should we? You're just a loser; we should teach you a lesson in 'how not to be a loser'!" shouted Alexandru, sending the other two goons into hysterics. _**'These boys are so stupid, I wish they would just shut up and go away,'**_she thought. However, Seras kept quiet; saying anything out of line would only keep them around longer, something she desperately did not want. All she cared about was getting home.

"Why do you always carry that stupid book around, huh? What's in it? Let me see." Andrei made a grab for her book.

"NO," she cried. "Leave me alone; I didn't do anything to you, stop it!"

Alin lunged for her sketchbook, and she retaliated by kicking him in the shin. Alin cried out in pain and fell to the floor, clenching his injured leg. Seeing this as an opportunity to escape, Seras pushed past the other boys and sprinted across a nearby field. She ran without direction, not caring where she ended up, wanting to be anywhere away from them.

"Get her!"

As the three boys ran after her, Seras forced her legs to move faster. **'**_**I can't let them catch me!'**_A little ways up the field, she noticed a rundown shed; not taking any time to think, Seras threw herself inside, fortunately finding a lock which she bolted shut. She moved to the farthest corner and sat with her head between her knees.

"Hey, get out of there! What a scaredy-cat; why don't you come out now, we're going to get you anyway!"

"Yeah don't think a girl can get away from us!"

"Come on loser, open up!"

The banging continued, but Seras paid no attention. Rocking back and forth, she tried to calm herself and think of something happier. Today was a good day; they had not caught up, they had not hurt her; she was lucky.

Seras did not know how long she sat in the shed for, but by the time she got out, the street lamps were on and the boys were nowhere in sight

"Good, they're gone. Those stupid boys always ruin everything. Father is not going to be happy that I'm coming home late. Now he's going to be very angry and I'm going to get in a lot of trouble," Seras said, getting to her feet and scooping up her sketchbook.

She began walking home at a hurried pace, **'**_**I hope father hasn't noticed I've been gone for so long. Maybe he was drinking again and fell asleep on the couch. Oh, I hope he has; I don't want to be hit again.'**_Turning onto her street, Seras walked a bit faster, anxious to get home. As she passed the park across from her house, something caught her eye. One of the park swings was creaking as it swung back and forth.

'_**That's weird; there's no wind.'**_Curiosity got the better of her as she made her way towards the park. There was a slight chill in the air and Seras could not help but feel as though she was being watched. Sure enough, as her eyes scanned the area she noticed somebody in the distance.

"Hello?" She called out, but the person said nothing; they just looked at her, with the strangest eyes. _**'It's as if they're glowing.'**_ The stranger turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Not knowing exactly why she had called out, Seras searched for something to say. "Um, uh, well, Mister are you okay? Why are you out here all alone in the dark isn't it a bit dangerous?"

A dark chuckle emerged from the distance, "Foolish little girl, I think it is you that should be concerned about the dangers lurking about," came the deep, rough voice of a man, who spoke clearly with a smirk dancing about his face. "You never know what kind of creatures could be hiding in the shadows, just waiting to sink their teeth into your delicious flesh." With every word the man took a step closer to Seras.

"Monsters are not real Mister."

"Are you sure? How can you be so certain; have you ever seen a monster before?"

"Well, no, but I don't believe they are real or they would have shown themselves." Seras said matter-of-factly. Within a blink of an eye, the man was gone. Shocked, she looked around in confusion, _**'Where did he go?'**_

"Right behind you," Seras jumped; spinning around she came face-to-face with the stranger.

"How did you do that?" she asked in complete awe.

"Like I said, monsters could be hiding anywhere, just waiting." A wide grin spread across the mysterious man's face, revealing a set of pearly white teeth with two very sharp canines. Seras smiled back.

"Aren't you scared of me little girl?" The man questioned warningly, bending down so his face was only inches away from hers.

"Nope," she replied simply.

"You should be; don't you know I could rip you apart in seconds?"

"Maybe, but I think that you would have done it already if you really wanted to." Seras said with a smile still on her face.

The man stood up, the smirk gone from his lips, "Go home little girl; these dark streets are no place for a child like yourself."

"Okay, goodbye Mister!" Seras waved back at the man before running off in the direction of her house.

The man watched her until she had completely disappeared from sight; a look of confusion etched across his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from Hellsing. **

**I'm sorry it took so long for chapter 2 to be posted I was bombarded with philosophy and essays throughout out the break and the first week back was brutally busy for me. Anyway, I hope you like it; I'm interested in what you have to say! =) By the way, exams are coming up so I don't know when I'll have chapter 3 up; I'll do it as fast as I can.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Me, Myself, and Someone Else?**

Seras finally reached her house, _**'home sweet home'**_she thought sarcastically. The buzzing of the television led her into a dull room where her exceedingly drunk father was passed out on the couch. Her father, Claudiu, was sprawled over the filthy piece of furniture, snoring, with an empty beer bottle hanging from his hand.

Seras shook her head in disgust. Out of habit she headed over to the television; shut it off, walked back to take the empty bottle from his hands, threw it into the trash can and headed upstairs. Once she was in the confines of her bedroom she sluggishly made her way towards her bed, exhausted from the day's events. It was a filthy old mattress that she laid down on, many stains were scattered over the material, some food and others were unknown substances. Her father had picked it up from a neighbour's trash and put it to "good" use. Placing the sketchbook beside the bed she fell on it awaiting that blissful dream world she knew would soon come. That perfect world where she was loved, cared for, protected and where nothing could harm her.

The next morning Seras woke up to the sun shining agonizingly in her eyes. Crawling from the bed she stood up to stretch, and began her regular morning ritual. Once her hair was combed and face washed she took one last look in the mirror. Leaning into the mirror she gave a large smile and traced her tongue over her teeth, stopping to press it against her canines. _**'I wonder how that man got his so sharp and long?'**_She thought fleetingly before going downstairs to make herself something to eat.

Like most Saturdays her father was still passed out having inebriated himself into an oblivious state. A look of revulsion was etched across Seras's face as a trail of drool dripped from his gapping mouth. She walked past him to the kitchen, taking one glance back, '_loser.'_

Within the fridge there was a total of peanut butter, jam, bruised apples, a loaf of bread and a 24 pack of Ursus beer. Seras exhaled a heavy sigh, _**'how does this idiot survive on this?'**_She grabbed the peanut butter and jam and made a sandwich from what was left.

Eating as quickly as possible she headed back to her room to grab her sketchbook and to brush her teeth. Completing her tasks, she headed out the door to go to the park. Ever since her mother's suicide three years ago she didn't spend much time at home. When her mother had been alive, Seras felt loved and safe from the brutality of her father's violence. Her mother had been the only person to truly understand and appreciate her unique personality. The memories of her mother were quite faded being so young when the tragedy happened. All the same she held onto them with desperate, yearning arms, not wanting them to slip from her grasp.

Seras lived in a dilapidated town in Transylvania, growing up very poor, she never had very much. All her clothing was bought from thrift stores making her the grounds of most classroom humour. She was always quiet and secluded, never drawing much attention to herself; she spent most of her time sketching in her art book. That is why the "A team" was so keen on 'befriending' Seras whenever the opportunity presented itself.

'_**I hate those boys so much!'**_Seras cringed with anger. _**'One day I'm going to punch their lights out. It's just not fair they always gang up on me, cowards!'**_

They out casted her because they thought she was a freak and they're right, she was a freak. Even Seras knew it and it hurt, more then words could describe.

* * *

The park was one of the best places to be alone; no one ever went there due to its bad reputation. Seras always felt calm drawing there, the forest that practically surrounded the park created a soothing atmosphere. Most people stayed away from it because of the ridiculous notion that it was haunted. But she didn't believe in that superstitious babble, she thought it looked wonderful under the glow of sunlight, and even more so in the night.

Seras opened her sketchbook _**'what should I draw?'**_she thought for moment when the image of glowing red eyes filled her mind. She placed her pencil to the blank page and began drawing.

Stroke after stroke the picture started to form, **'**_**I wonder how he got his eyes to glow like that... what a strange man.'**_After finishing her picture, Seras admired her drawing, "another job well done, if I do say so myself!" Shutting the book and she went to sit on the swing set nearby, _**'I couldn't even see him; it wasn't even that dark out. It was as if he was a shadow…but how can that be?'**_

Shaking the confusing thoughts from her head Seras decided to visit the book store. Her Saturdays usually consisted of the morning visit to the park and then curling up to a nice book. _Anything_ that could take her mind off her life attracted her, but drawing and books were her favourite way to pass time. Seras liked to pretend that she was the characters in the stories she read; she would experience all the adventures and fantasies they did. It was a form of escapism for her. The stories carried hope, family, and love, something Seras desperately craved. But with each passing year as she read, she realized that the characters paths continued to grow, whereas hers was beginning to close off in front of her, as if she had nowhere else to go

* * *

The store bell rang as Seras stepped into the small book store.

"Hello Seras! How have you been my dear?" An old woman sorting books greeted her warmly.

"Hi Mrs. Florea, I'm good I just came to read, is that alright with you?

"Oh please dear, how many times do I have to tell you, call me Cosmina and of course it is alright with me. I do not know why you insist on asking me the same questions every time you come in; you have been visiting my shop for a good two years now, love." Mrs. Florea gave one of her sunshine smiles that could brighten anyone's day.

Seras looked down sheepishly, "I know, but we learned in school that it's not polite to talk to our elders without using their last name. Anyway I'm going to go read now I'll see you later!" Seras yelled as she excitedly ran off towards the fantasy section. Mrs. Florea shook her head with a grin and went back to sorting out the books.

Mrs. Florea's book shop was anything but glamorous. It was a small shop that had few employees; it was typical to see scattered books along the floor and on top of shelves. But Seras didn't mind, the mixed smells of tired, musty books, apple-cinnamon scented candles and freshly brewed coffee comforted her. Mrs. Florea was like a grandmother to her, the grandmother she never had.

"Hmm, let's see which one to read; Lord of the rings- too hard, Harry potter- read it, The Princess Bride- too cheesy-" Skimming through the shelves Seras settled for Narnia, something she'd been meaning to read.

Heading to the back of the shop she plopped down on a worn out sofa and began to devour the book.

On the wall to her right a large clock hung ticking away. The big hand overlapped the small hand several times and before she even knew it Mrs. Florea was calling her name.

"Seras dear, it is getting dark outside, maybe you should head home. I need to be cleaning up anyway; the store closes in an hour."

"Oh ok," closing the book she walked over to the shelf she found her book on and slipped it into its rightful spot. Walking down the isle Seras's foot bumped something. Bending down to retrieve the fallen book, she was immediately intrigued by the covers picture. It was Bram Stoker's Dracula. The picture was of a sickly pale man with unusually sharp canines. **'**_**Just like the stranger's at the park.'**_Her fingers lightly brushed over his face.

"Love, I'm leaving the door open for you; just leave when you're ready!" Mrs. Florea called from the front of store snapping Seras out of her daze.

Putting the book onto a shelf, she made her way to the door, "Bye Mrs. Florea see you soon!" _'I wonder if I'll ever see him again?'_

Seras walked in determined thought down the street, blithely unaware of the dangers outside of her own mind.

* * *

Not quite ready to go home, Seras headed over to the park bench. There was a beautiful blood moon out that night and she wanted to enjoy it for a while. She sat down and relaxed, looking at the mesmerizing moon hanging in the sky. A slight breeze was in the air causing the wind to whistle as it flew through the branches. The trees danced angrily about and there shadows formed mysterious figures all around the field. Seras started to feel uneasy, usually she loved the park at night but there was something strange about the way the forest swayed uneasily that gave her an eerie feeling in the pit of her stomach. Suddenly she heard a low snarl. Her head snapped to locate the direction of the sound. She grasped her sketchbook tighter and her knuckles turned white.

"Hello?" She called out, "Is someone there?" A piercing growl struck through the air. Seras jumped to her feet, frantically trying to find where the sounds were coming from; but to her dismay the noises was resonating from all around her. She started towards the street when something within the forest caught her attention. A pair of bright orange eyes slowly emerged from the darkness followed by the most grotesque creature Seras had ever seen. It was wolf-like, covered in teal-black fur making it difficult to see even with the light from street lamps. Its face held the features of a bat with a permanent scowl engraved upon its mouth.

Seras wanted to run but was so petrified her body seized up and failed her. All she could do was stare, as the beast crawled towards her from the abyss. Once fully emerged, the beast stood on its high legs, reaching a height that must have been 6 feet or more, and released a ghastly roar.

This snapped Seras out of her shock and she sprinted towards the street. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears in time with the creature's heavy steps. Within seconds a sharp pain shot through her leg and she let out a shrill cry. Whatever it was, it had bitten her ankle and dragged her down onto the cold ground.

She landed with a painful thud. Rolling over, Seras stared death in the eyes. She wanted to crawl away but an unfamiliar sensation washed over her as she continued to stare into the beast's eyes. It was as if her whole body was being held down by an invisible force and she couldn't find it in herself to look away from its luminescent eyes. _**'This is it. I can't believe it; this is how I'm going to die! I can't move my body; please this can't be how it ends. Someone help me!'**_Seras cried in her mind for her mouth was useless; she watched it raise its claws, preparing to rip out her throat. With terror filled eyes she looked away as the beast's arm preceded its downward motion.

After a few seconds of waiting for the crushing blow that never came Seras looked back to see what had happened, _**'Wh- why did he stop?'**_

Suddenly an amorphous mass of darkness surrounded both of them and a familiar feeling seeped into the air. Breaking its gaze from Seras, the creature backed off a few inches and assumed an alert stance. Finally she felt the force lift from her body and she could move again. However, she was too enticed with the mist to escape and saw the mysterious fog start to solidify and reform.

A sinister chuckle emitted from a newly formed man, "Ah, what a beautiful night for a battle. I must say I have to thank you little girl, you have not seized to entertain me. First with your oh so witty charm and now these, really you're too much." The man smirked while stray pieces of shadowy smog emitted from his hair creating a tentacle-like effect.

The man released a sadistic laugh as the beast attempted to leap towards him. A second after it left the ground it was suspended in mid air.

"This has been the most fun I've had in a while, don't you think?" the man asked. Seras just stared dumbfounded at him; she was in utter shock. The man's mist like hair firmly wrapped itself around each one of the beast's limbs. It let out a disgruntled growl that quickly turned into an anguishing cry as the man started to stretch.

"It's rather pathetic preying on innocent children. Personally, I prefer to play with my victims, make them beg for mercy and unfortunately, you never quite get that out of children." The beast replied with a feeble whimper.

Seras couldn't fathom what she was seeing, _**'He's talking to it…like it's the most casual thing in the world!'**_Her mouth dropped open, **'**_**why the hell is he talking to it, he should just kill it!'**_"Ok mister; let's do a little more killing and a little less talking. In case you haven't noticed that… that thing, tried to kill me!"

The man cocked his brow at Seras and gave a smirk, "Tsk, tsk, patience is a virtue my dear. Have your parents taught you nothing?"

"Patience?" Seras asked dryly. "You're telling me to be patient! That thing tried to kill me and you're talking to it like it's just a friendly stranger you met off the street. Let me tell you mister, this is how all movies end. Someone will be caught but throughout all the unnecessary chit chat they find a way to escape and successfully kill everyone and don't you dare try to deny it! I've watched enough sailor moon to know this! It's basic movie knowledge!" Seras screamed in frustration.

The man head snapped back as he released a thunderous laugh. "You never fail to amuse me; very well, I'll cooperate. I'm hungry anyway; I should be finding someone to feed off of." He drew his attention back to the sniveling beast.

"Feed? What are you ta-" She was cut off as the man's stomach started to shift. A menacing hound-like figure erupted from his belly, shooting towards its prey and burst through the beast's ribcage. Blood spewed from it body in all directions and the man proceeded to rip the creature limb from limb, laughing ominously throughout. The sound of ripping flesh and breaking bones emitted into the air. Shortly after the hound retreated back into the man's body and the dark mist dissipated.

"That felt good, maybe I should have you around more often; you seem to be where all the fun is." The man turned to face Seras, her face was as pale as a sheet; blood has sprayed all over her and a piece if intestine was hanging from her hair.

Reaching up to pull off whatever had got caught in her hair, Seras stared at it with blood covered hands. A looking of disgust formed on her face. Returning her gaze to the man, she uttered one last inquiry, "What are you?" With that said her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed.

Watching as she fell, the man rubbed his face in aggravation, "humans are so useless." He picked Seras up with ease and retrieved her sketchbook; a black portal appeared amidst the air. The man looked around before vanishing into it.

* * *

**If you want a better idea of the creature go to these links. In the next chapter I'll explain all about it. =)**

**www. wizards. com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG22b. jpg**

**www. odyum. com/Gallery/Barghest%20fight. jpg**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from Hellsing.**

**I forgot to tell you that Seras lives in Transylvania; I fixed that small detail in the second chapter, I wanted to tell you just so you're not confused. Anyway, the long wait was because it's a really long chapter. I hope you enjoy it as much as I LOVED writing it and can't wait to hear what you think.**

**Warning: From here on in, the story will contain material that may be disturbing to some views. This includes rape, abuse, suicide, etc. Read at your own discretion.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Truth is Revealed **

Seras heard the faint sounds of rustling in the distance she could not quite distinguish. Listening intently, she tried to pick up where the noises were coming from. _**'Who's here with me?'**_ Her thoughts were running wild, she attempted to stand but found her body frozen. _**'Ugh! Not this again! Why are my eyes so heavy?'**_Panic began to consume her thoughts as she struggled to move. Seras was having quite the internal battle and losing miserably.

"Relax, little one,"a voice spoke to her soothingly. _**'Who was that?'**_Whoever it was, they were right. All the struggling was exhausting, and reluctantly she let herself relax.

Within a few minutes, her body began to move again. Sitting up, she took in her surroundings. The room she was in was relatively bare; the aged stone walls were cold and worn from centuries of use. There were no windows, only candles attached to Celtic cross holders along the walls. The only warmth emitted came from a lone fire place located in the middle of the room, adjacent to her right. On the opposite wall, a large wooden door, with close resemblance to that of a dungeon, stood proud. Continuing on, Seras's eyes set on a simple table with two chairs on both ends, positioned in the corner of the room and a smaller door behind it.

"These sketches are most interesting, little one. Do you always draw such bizarre images?"

Startled, she whipped her head to the left and saw the same man from the park sitting on an extravagant parlour chair, fit for a king. "Who are you, where am I, and what do you want with me?"

Without even glancing away from the sketchbook, the man replied. "My name is Alucard, you are in my castle, and I want nothing from a pathetic human such as yourself. Does that satisfy all your questions?"

Realizing that Alucard was looking through her drawings, Seras switched from curious to defensive. "Hey, you're not allowed to look through those! They're mine; give them back!" Jumping up to take back the art book, she tripped over the border of the bed and face planted upon the cold floor.

Alucard burst out laughing as he watched the hilarious scene in front of him. Groaning in pain, she glared at the offending object.

"Why the heck do you have a border around your--" She stopped immediately when she realized what she had been laying in. It was not a bed.

"Yes Seras, it is indeed a coffin in which I sleep my days away in." Snapping her gaze back towards Alucard, she found herself transfixed by the man before her. He was wearing a charcoal suit with a crimson cravat, leather riding boots, and a long burgundy Victorian overcoat. A wide-brimmed fedora of the same colour rested perfectly on his head. But nothing compared to the scarlet orbs that scrutinized her every move. Even at such a young age, she had to admit this man was very beautiful.

"I prefer handsome myself; beautiful sounds far too feminine." He was perplexed with her reaction to him. Most humans cowered in fear, but for some strange reason, this girl did not.

"Okay, listen here, weirdo. I don't know what you are or how you know my name, but where I come from people don't go around reading other people's _personal _thoughts, just the same they don't go through a person's _private _property! You're not allowed to look at that; now give it back!" Stomping her way over to Alucard, she tried to snatch the sketchbook from his hands. Grinning vehemently, he showed off his sharp fangs, refusing to let go of the book. He was enjoying how she struggled to release it from his grip.

"Well, well; aren't you a feisty one. Where are all your manners, little one? You have to say the magic word." He mocked her in a tone that a parent would use while teaching their child.

Seras placed her hands on her hips and retorted with an aggravated look. "I wasn't taught any; now give me back my book!"

Cocking a brow, he waited; his smirk grew even wider, if that was possible. Knowing full well his silence was getting on her nerves, he added, "Well?"

Giving him an overly dramatic huff, the words scraped off of her tongue. "Can I have my book back…please?"

"Oh yes, I'm sure you can have it back, but may you?" Fire burned in her eyes as rage pulsated from her body. Shutting her eyes she let out an irritated cry.

"Alucard, do stop torturing the poor girl, she has had enough of that for one night," a man called from the doorway; he was an elderly gentlemen, well dressed, with his hair tied neatly into a ponytail. Walking over, he snatched the book out of Alucard's hand, giving it back to Seras. "Come now, child, sit down; I want to check that head of yours. That fall you had earlier gave you a pretty nasty bump."

Once the sketchbook was placed in her hands, she mockingly stuck her tongue out at the dark haired male.

Alucard gave Seras a warning look. "I suggest you put that back in your mouth before I rip it out."

With a loud gasp, she heatedly plopped on one of the chairs and forcibly glared at him. Ignoring it, he looked back at the older man. "You know, Walter, you always ruin my fun; I may just have to kill you now. Have you forgotten who you are dealing with?"

"Oh please; quit being such a drama queen. If you did not have me, you would be dead by now. If I do recall correctly, I was the one that sheltered your incredibly temper mental ass after you sold your soul. I helped you learn and control your abilities. But do enlighten me, how are you going to kill me this time?"

"Well, I was thinking of something along the lines of disembowelment or dismemberment."

Looking between the two men, Seras was beyond confused. **'**_**He sold his soul… to what? Who the heck are these people?'**_

Throughout their bizarre bantering, she finally gained enough courage to speak after Walter was done checking her head. "Okay, can someone please tell me what's going on here?"

"See Walter, before you rudely interrupted the two of us by barging in here, I was teaching young Seras here how to say please. Look, she's learning! Next, I'm going to teach her to play dead, then possibly rolling over," Alucard declared victoriously.

Rolling his eyes, Walter turned his attention to Seras. "I am sorry dear; how rude of me; this must be very confusing for you. I am Walter, Alucard's trusted associate. And you are?"

"Seras Victoria," she answered timidly.

"Well, Miss Victoria, earlier on in the evening, you were brought here to make sure you were all right. After you were attacked, you fainted and hit your head, but you seem to be fine; there are no serious injuries. That bump should go down in a couple of days; no need to worry."

Looking over at Alucard, she saw a goblet she had not noticed before, filled with some sort of red liquid. "I saw what came out of your stomach. I know you're not human, so what are you?"

"A vampire, my dear," he smiled at her cynical disposition, "I suggest you start believing in monsters Seras Victoria," he leaned forward, "They are very much real." With a single gulp, he downed the contents of the goblet.

"So if he's a vampire, than what he's drinking is…" She did not need to finish the statement. Walter already knew what she was referring to and replied with a nod.

She scrunched her nose in disgust. "Okay that's really gross." Shifting in her seat she faced Walter, "So I'm guessing that you're a vampire, too?"

He gave a small chuckle, "No, my dear, I am not. I am a wizard, very different from a vampire and very much alive."

"So, you're like a witch that casts spells and stuff, right?" she asked with slight curiosity.

"Yes, you could say that. However, witches are female and wizards are male. Anyway, I would love to sit and chat with you but I have things that need to be attended too. I may be a wizard but some how or other I have ended up as Alucard's personal butler," he shot his friend a harmless glare and continued. "I see nothing wrong with you, Miss Victoria, just a bit of a bump, nothing that can not heal in a day or two. Now I must be off; if you need me you know where to find me."

Walking towards the door, he turned around seeming to have remembered something, "Oh, and Alucard, try not to drive the poor child insane; she does not deserve to be a victim of your twisted and perverted mind games." With that, he gave Seras a warm smile and to his master, a polite bow.

Silence filled the room and Seras was the first to break it. "Are you going to eat me?"

"I don't know what kind of vampire stories you may have heard but, I don't _eat _humans, unless it's a willing woman." Alucard gave a wicked smirk, only to be rewarded with a puzzled look from the eight year old. "I suppose you are too young to understand; vampires only drain humans of their blood, not physically eat them. Now, are you done playing twenty questions?"

"No, you're the one that brought me here, Mr. Vampiro, so you're going to sit there and answer them until I'm done." Seras retorted heatedly. He found himself unable to believe the sheer audacity this girl had. There were not many full grown men brave enough to whisper, let alone insult, him; and yet, this little girl stood brazen to her words, ready for anything he would throw at her. It fascinated him, and he had to admit, he found her nicknames for him rather amusing.

"Very well, proceed."

"Are we still in Transylvania? I mean there are not many castles around here and I think someone would have figured out if people were living in it."

"Yes, the castle is invisible to all humans. There are very strong barriers and spells around it that prevent people from seeing or even penetrating it. My castle is located in the Transylvanian Alps; we are still close to your home."

Relief washed over her; she was getting worried about how far she was from her home, _**"If you could call that trash pile a home."**__ "_You can read people's minds, huh?"

"Yes, every vampire can. Humans are the easiest to read; they are like open books." A mischievous smirk formed on Alucard's face that made Seras's heart quicken in panic. **'**_**Does he know about father?'**_

"No, I do not know about him. I can read your thoughts when you think them easily. Looking at memories is different; that requires more skill and is far more complex. Why Seras? Are you afraid I will find something you don't want to share? It's not nice to keep secrets, you know." The teasing was making Seras uncomfortable, and he relished in her unease.

Seras was quick to stutter. "N-no, just forget about it. It's nothing. Um- so- ah, what was that thing in the park?" Looking at her questionably, he let her obvious nervousness slide he could find out anything he wanted to know later.

"What you saw in the park was a Barghest. They actually look like large goblins, but they can change into lupine form, which is what you saw." She gave him a confused look and he sighed with great irritation.

"Lupus is the Latin word for wolf. Look, I know you don't follow this type of shit, but seriously, haven't you ever watched werewolf movies before?"

"Well, sorry! Whatever; so it didn't click. Cut me some slack; this is a lot to take in right now, gosh!" Seras folded her arms and gave an immature pout.

Rolling his eyes, he continued. "I find it quite odd that one would choose to show itself in such a way. Not that I am complaining; it was a pleasant battle, but it is not in a Barghest's nature to attack its prey straight on, and alone, for that matter," Alucard thought aloud more to himself than Seras.

"What do you mean?"

"They usually hunt in packs and ambush their prey. I have never seen one attempt a frontal assault alone."

"Why couldn't I move my body?"

"They charm their victims so they can not escape. By doing so, it is much easier for them to feast on the blood and soul of the prey and become stronger."

A familiar sensation flooded Alucard's senses, indicating that the sun was beginning to rise. "That's enough of your silly questions. Morning is approaching and I must sleep. I will take you home when I awake. Now, get out," he ordered with a wave of his hand.

"Hey! I'm not one of you're slaves you can boss around. What am I supposed to do until then, anyway? You can't just leave me here!" She said, with a stomp of her foot.

"Stop acting like such a brat; go find something to amuse yourself for the time being. Just get out of my sight; you're starting to give me a headache with all your whining."

"Fine, I'll leave and I'll make a mess of your castle while I'm doing it, too! Why do you have to be so mean?" With that, she stormed out of the room, completely forgetting her sketchbook.

She could not believe the nerve of that man! Her blood was boiling and her frustration did nothing to help her as she wandered aimlessly through the enormous stone maze.

* * *

Alucard lay down in his coffin and closed the lid. Submerged in darkness, he let is thoughts wander. He could not fathom why such a young girl was walking around so late at night. The girl was definitely strange, though he enjoyed toying with her. He resolved to delve into her memories later. Her nervousness to his earlier question caught his interest. There were also the multiple pictures of the woman in that book of hers. Sighing heavily, he pushed the thoughts from his mind and let sleep engulf him. He would not let his curiosity ruin his beloved rest. There was plenty of time for prying later.

* * *

Seras found herself in front of the same portrait she saw only ten minutes ago. _'__**Arr! I can't believe this; I'm running around in circles! How do people get around this place?' **_Continuing down the dark corridor, she reached a split path with only two options; left, heading up a staircase, or right, which followed down one.

It was common sense to go up; up meant light, day, and maybe something to eat, while down…Curiosity got the best of Seras as she descended the winding staircase. Any normal person, especially one so young, might have been detoured from such a daunting atmosphere; but then again, there were not many people who would call Seras _normal_. The further she continued down the dank steps, the cooler the air got. A chill ran down her spine when she reached the bottom. She was in a long corridor that branched out in to several small rooms with barred doors. Seras shuddered as if there were people watching her; this was not a corridor, it was a dungeon.

It was as if thousands of tortured, forgotten souls were trapped down here, just wandering these passageways, trying to find a way out.

"This place gives me the creeps," she walked past the first cell, "but, it does look pretty cool down here." Walking along, she saw multiple shackles hanging from the walls and scattered bones on the floor. There were many smaller corridors attached to the one she was currently in. Within those, other corridors branched out from them. Not wanting to get lost she choice to ignore them. At the end of the main passageway was a door, which she decided to enter. Seras looked around in utter amazement; there was a vast array of torture devices located all around the room. She could only recognize a few from pictures in books; being the wheel, the Iron Maiden, and the rack, from the countless others.

A creak came from above her. Looking up, she saw a cage and in it was a person; well, the remains of a person, to be exact. _**'Oh my god, this is for real. I'm in a real dungeon with real dead people! This is so cool! Nobody at school is going to believe this.' **_Taking a moment to register that thought, her excitement died quickly. _**'Right, of course they wouldn't believe me, it'll just give them another reason to tease me.'**_

Turning to leave, something flickered from the corner of her eye. To the far left, in the corner of the room, large spikes protruded from the ground. Above them was a balcony. However, what caught her eye were not necessarily the spikes, but the individual that was impaled by them. A man, bloody and broken, had several stakes jutting from his body. His head was snapped back to reveal his mouth open wide with unheard shrieks. His eyes were staring straight at her, watching, penetrating into her very soul. Skeletons were one thing, but a fresh corpse dripping blood was completely and utterly another.

Terrified, Seras sprinted out of the torture chamber, passing the several corridors, and hurried up the whining staircase. In her urgency to leave, she lost her footing and scraped her leg against the step's edge. Blood gushed from the cut; ignoring it, she picked herself up and carried on. The adrenaline pumping through her veins numbed the pain. Her breathing was heavy when she reached the top. Nevertheless she sprinted up the stairs before her, into a grand hall. Quickly picking one of the many routes to take, she dashed down it. Not paying attention to where she was going, she colliding with a solid figure and was propelled backward. Seras looked up from the cold floor to see Walter gawking down at her.

Helping her to her feet, he brushed some dust off her. "Good heavens, child! What on earth are you doing running through the castle at top speed? If you are practicing for a one-man stampede you are well on your way!"

Pointing to the direction, she came from she puffed out the most audible words she could muster. "There's- man- down- a room- spikes- dead!"

"Please, slow down, Miss Victoria. Compose yourself; take a few moments to catch your breath." Leaning against a wall, she tried to relax her wheezing coughs. "Now, start from the beginning."

"I got lost trying to find my way around this place when I saw stairs leading down somewhere. I wanted to see what was down there, so I followed them. I found the dungeon and another room with weird looking machines. And then I saw a dead guy; his body had spikes through him! Who the hell are you people?"

"Relax, Miss Victoria. I understand you are frightened, but there is nothing to fear. No harm will come to you."

"Nothing to fear? I've been attacked by a mutant wolf, kidnapped by a crazy blood-sucking vampire that can shoot dogs out of his body, and you have a dead guy in your house with spikes coming out of him! Tell me; why shouldn't I be scared!" Tears started to form in Seras's eyes. She slid to the floor, curled into a ball, and rocked herself.

"Sh, sh, sh, shhhhh. Don't cry. I did not mean to upset you. That man you saw in the dungeon was a very, very bad man. He was a murderer who raped children. That man would kidnap, torture, and then, kill them. Alucard found the bad man and killed him so he could harm no more children."

Lifting her head up, she peeked through her arms to look attentively at Walter. "Is that true? Did he really do that?

"Yes, he did all those hurtful, awful things."

"Oh, okay. In that case, yeah; I'm glad he's dead." Wiping her eyes, she jumped up off the ground excitedly. "So what is there to do around here--Ouch!"

Walter was taken aback by her extreme lightness of the situation. Blinking a few times, he allowed her bizarre shift in attitude to register in his brain. He noticed the bottoms of her jeans were ripped and bloody and upon kneeling to get a closer look, he discovered a rather deep wound. Placing his hand over it, she started to feel the cut warm up and the pain fade away.

"There, all better." Walter removed his hands from her leg and she inspected it. To her amazement, the cut was completely healed.

"Wow! That was so cool; how did you learn how to do that? Dude, you have to teach me this! I get hurt all the time, so this would be so awesome to have." Shaking his head, he gave a small smile. _**'I must say, this child is it one of a kind. No wonder Alucard has interest in this peculiar girl. Maybe she'll do him some good. Lately, he has been moping around this castle like a thorn in my side. I can't get anything done around here. When Alucard gets bored, nothing good comes out of it, just complete and utter chaos.' **_

Reaching out, he took her hand in his. "Miss Victoria, I have a special place I want to show you. I think you will like it very much."

Hand in hand, Walter navigated through them through the castle.

* * *

Seras's eyes lit up when they entered into the most magnificent glass dome. It was covered in all sorts of flowers and varieties of tree and plants. The colours meshed together beautifully, like a painting. Different scents mixed together to create to most intoxicating blend of smells; she could almost taste the sweet nectar in the air. Walking further into the greenhouse, her skin was warmed instantly as the sun's heat shone through the glass panels.

"Oh wow, Walter; this is so beautiful." She said as they casually strolled down one of the marked paths.

"Indeed it is. This garden is my sanctuary; I created it for times when I need to think, or simply get away from the absurdities of life. I am hardly ever bothered here, so for the most part I have it all to myself."

"I can't believe you made this. I mean there's real grass here; nothing's in a pot. It looks like an actual garden." Seras's eyebrows rose in bewilderment.

"Yes, well, you will soon come to realize, Miss Victoria, that nothing here is as it seems. This dome is surrounded by magic. The only reason they can grow is because of the spells I have casted. It is impossible for these types of plants to grow in the mountains; the conditions are much too harsh. Extraordinary, isn't it? Alucard rarely comes here, so that makes it all the more peaceful." Walter words were laced with humour.

"Yeah, I can't see Alucard coming here to enjoy the flowers unless it's to feed his demon dog thingies. Do all vampires have those?"

"In response to your first statement, he only comes here for the pool or the hot tub, as odd as that sounds. Water does not kill vampires like the stories say, unless it is blessed, of course. It's unusual, but I enjoy them myself, so I guess it was a good idea to incorporate them into the garden; to answer your initial question, no." Walking over to sit on a nearby bench, he continued.

"What you saw come from Alucard's body were hellhounds. He is the only vampire who has them; they were sort of a gift to him when he was made. He has many secrets to his abilities; however, I am not allowed to discuss them with you. All you need to know is that no other vampire is like him, I have seen no other surpass his power.

"What do you mean 'when he was made'? Does that have to do with that thing you said about him selling his soul?" She asked, trying to piece things together.

"My, aren't you full of questions. I see this is going to be longer than expected so sit back and pay attention. I will tell you his past but no interruptions; I am getting old and I may lose my train of thought." Seras nodded in response, and he began.

"Alucard's real name is Vlad III. He was born in Transylvania, but was the Prince of Wallachia. When the Ottoman Empire was trying to take over Romania, he was known for resisting them. Before him, his father, Vlad II, ruled. However, when he was kicked off the throne and became a vassal to the sultan and had to give them his sons, Radu and Vlad, as hostages to ensure that he did what he was supposed to. During Vlad's imprisonment, he was tortured repeatedly for his rebellion and refusal to cooperate. Radu did not receive punishment due to the fact he became Pro-Ottoman to escape his prison, and put his loyalties towards their empire. When Vlad escaped, he regained his throne back and ruled once again. Though he was seen as a hero for driving the Ottomans out of Romania, he ruled with an iron fist. It did not matter if you were a man, women, elderly, sickly or a child; there were no exceptions. The usual method of punishment was impalement. He earned names such as Vlad the Impaler, and Dracula. Dracula derives from the name Dracul. In Romanian, it means—"

"Devil, Drucul means devil. I remember reading that in a history book once." Walter smiled in astonishment; he had not expected she would know such a thing.

"Yes, it does, and I thought I told you no interruptions," he scolded her playfully. She quickly put her hand over her mouth, giving him a silent apology and a plea to carry on.

Amused by her antics, he proceeded on. "Upon going into another war with the Ottoman, he was killed during battle. The night before he died, a Catholic priest came to the Turkish camp. The priest had received a message from God saying he would be a cursed man for all eternity. That even in death, he shall walk the earth as a monstrous, tormented soul. The devil would grant him life in exchange for his soul if he was not blessed before death. The Turks were Islamic which is a different type of religion, and did not believe the priest's words. They prevented him from blessing Vlad and shooed him away. He was decapitated and his head was put on a stake for all to see as proof that The Impaler was forever dead. His body was buried someplace unknown. There have been rumours as to where his body was laid to rest but it was never found." Standing up to stretch his back, he told Seras to walk with him. Obliging, she followed him down the stone pathway. Walter was silent as he recollected his thoughts; it had been a while and he needed to recall what Alucard had told him. Seras stayed quiet, waiting patiently for him to go on.

"That night Alucard was born; he was to be king of all creatures and rule them as such. The priest was right; Satan did come to him in death and offered him life again if he carried out the devil's work on earth. When morning came, Vlad's head was gone; and in its place was that of the priest's. The Turks were fearful because the priest warned them if he were not blessed, a monster would be birthed into the world. That, and the fact that only a few knew of the whereabouts of his body, made the chances of someone finding his remains nearly impossible. This is where I came into the picture. Alucard left the life he once had behind; his wife, his children, his throne, everything. It was of no use to him anymore. He traveled to England while trying to master his new powers, where he stumbled upon me. I was quite young at the time, living in the forests when I found myself being attacked. Apparently, I was to be his next meal. I could tell he was an extremely dangerous individual; his prevailing aura was pouring off of him."

"However, his form was much too impulsive and reckless. So I decided I would make him a deal; if he did not kill me, I'd help him control his abilities. It did not take him long to master them. When he finally did become the true nosferatu he was, I thought I was a dead man for sure. I knew his power surpassed mine and the carnage that he was capable of, but when he came for me, he did not try to kill me. Instead, he asked me to accompany him to his new home, which I stupidly accepted. That was about five hundred years ago and here I am today, stuck with the bloody psychopath," he finished dryly.

"So you don't like him; I thought you did? You two act like friends."

Walter's shoulders shook with his cheerful laugher. "Yes, I suppose we are. I just like to tease him when I say those things. I must admit that back in England, it got very boring. Alucard does put excitement into my life, that's for sure. There is never a dull moment when he's around." Happiness twinkled in his eyes as he reminisced about the old times. "We have had some amazing adventures within the last five hundred years."

"Walter, how are you still alive? If you're five hundred, shouldn't you be dead… No offence?"

He let out a hearty laugh, "No, no, it's a valid question. You see, true wizards and witches live for a very long time. I am aging, as you can see by my wrinkling face, but I think I have a couple of centuries left in me before I keel over." Standing up, he adjusted his clothing. "It was wonderful talking with you, Miss Victoria, but I really must finish off a couple of things before I retire for the day. I would suggest staying in the gardens instead of exploring. It is easy to get lost in this castle if you do not know your way around. I am convinced Alucard intentionally did that so he could watch his victims go insane trying to find a way out."

Bowing a goodbye, he turned to leave, "Wait!" Seras called out before he reached the door, "If he likes to kill people so much, even kids, then how am I safe?"

"I'm more then positive he will do nothing to harm you, Miss Victoria. I like to believe I know Alucard better then he knows himself. He has changed greatly over these many years and he never destroys something he is interested in. He is quite possessive in that sense. Good day to you; I will inform him to find you here when he has awoken."

She was unsure of Walter's assessment of Alucard; he most certainly seemed knowledgeable, and Seras did not feel as though he would lie to her, so she decided to explore as he had instructed her to do. She would worry about that bridge when she had to cross it.

"_**I guess I'll look around until Alucard wakes up. I have nothing better to do, and I'm not walking through that castle again."**_

The garden was breathtaking; she loved walking through the seemingly infinite rows of flowers, searching curiously for her favourite one. Passing the honeysuckle, snapdragons, bleeding hearts and multiple others; she discovered a cherry tree. Her mouth watered at the sight of the sweet fruits hanging above. Her drooling daze was interrupted when a rude growl rumbled from her stomach. _**'Man, those look so good! I didn't even notice how hungry I was.'**_ Getting a firm grip, she started to climb, finding a perfect branch to sit on while she devoured the sweets.

While she was munching away, she saw what looked like a giant bush covered with red blotches in the distance. Her interest piqued, she climbed down the tree and padded over to where they were. Her favourite flower had elegantly wrapped itself around a beautiful wooden arch. They were the reddest roses she had ever seen. She debated if it was because of the magic.

Her mother had loved roses too; Seras remembered what her mother had said to her about them. It was something she had never been able to forget.

* * *

_**A woman sat in a rocking chair starr**__**ing out a window, "Seras my love come here." The six year old promptly walked over to her mother's loving arms, and nestled herself in her lap. The women reached over to a vase and pulled out a single scarlet rose.**_

"_**I want to tell you something, dear. It is something my mother told me when I was a little girl and now I'm passing it on to you." Seras looked up at her mother expectantly. **_

"_**Do you know why roses are so special?" The blonde girl shook her head. "They are the flower of love." The girl's eyes widened, "If a boy were to ever give you such a gift, always treasure it. It is a piece of their heart they wish for you to have and care for. Even if you do not share the same feelings, always take it, for love is frail. It is as delicate as a rose, my love; it is brittle and can be broken just as easily. When love is destroyed, it leaves a person very empty and cold, like a hollowed out shell. And remember, the truest love is found in a single rose, never more."**_

"_**But why can it only be one Mommy?" The inquisitive child asked.**_

"_**Because it means that you are their **_**only**_** one and there are no others. A single rose means **_**one**_** love, for only **_**one**_** person. Always remember that and you will find someone with a true love, just for you." She playfully nuzzled the little girl, and heard her giggle carelessly. **_

"_**I promise, Mommy, I promise to never forget. Did Daddy ever give you a rose?" Her daughter's words brought pain to her heart; a profound sadness that was buried inside, escaped the depths, within the capsule of its vulnerable host.**_

"_**No, my love, he never did." Hugging her child close, she let the tears fall.**_

* * *

Seras stood still, staring at the scarlet rose in her hand, not noticing she was crying until a waterfall of tears crashed down on the flowers fragile petals. _**'Why did you have to go away Mommy? I miss you so much. I'm scared Mommy, I'm so scared; I can hardly remember what you look like. The memories, they're disappearing; they're going away and I'm afraid I will forget you."**_

Wiping her eyes, she moved lethargically away from the rose covered arch. Locating a bench farther up the path, she wearily walked over to it and rested upon her side against its cool surface. The heat from the sun hugged her body. Closing her eyes, she willed the pain in her heart to stop. She was so confused; confused about her mother leaving her, about having no friends, and her father's hatred. Was she such a burden on everyone that they all just wanted to get away from her? Was she that much of a freak? Not realizing how exhausted she truly was, Seras hardly noticed as she drifted off into a much needed sleep.

* * *

The night was calling. Gently lifting the lid, Alucard stepped out. Rather then wearing his usually Victorian garments, he changed into something different. His current attire disappeared from his body as he phased into black dress pants, a dark red button up dress shirt and a black tie. He finished his look with a long black overcoat and combat boots. Looking over at the table, he saw Seras's sketchbook. Picking it up, he vanished from the room.

Walter was usually awake at this time and located in the tower, working on peculiar concoctions. Reappearing at his destination, he arrived unnoticed. Walter was hunched over, rambling on about something incoherently to himself. A sinister smile stretched across his face as a mischievous idea popped into his head. Softly stepping right behind him, he leaned in his ear and whispered, "Walter."

Startled, the wizard jerked in surprise and dropped what he was holding into the bubbling substance. The result left the poor man covered in mustard like goo. Alucard erupted into hysterical laughter.

"For heaven's sake, Alucard; look at what you've done! You're worse than a child. At least they only destroy things they touch; you, on the other hand, can destroy anything by just opening that hole in your face!"

Walter glared angrily at the vampire, waiting for him to sober up. "Come on, I was just having some fun. It's not often I catch you off guard; you're usually on your toes. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up."

Sighing, he told himself he should be used to this stuff. Eyeing Alucard, he watched him look around.

"Where is the girl?" Alucard asked nonchalantly.

"Miss Victoria is in the garden. I bumped into her, literally, in the halls. She was wandering around in the dungeons and was quite startled when she came upon the aftermath of your favourite pastime." The vampire merely grinned.

Walter mirrored his action. "You are going to be the death of me you know that?"

"I have high hopes."

"I'm going to clean up here and take a shower." With that, Alucard nodded and was gone. He phased his way through the bottom of the floor and searched the dome, finding Seras asleep on the bench.

Looking down at the girl, he could not help but think how perfectly adorable she looked curled up in a ball. It was hard to believe he enjoyed her company, though he would never admit it. Her feisty attitude and light bantering was somewhat refreshing to him. He was accustomed to being stood up to; most thought him a monster. He did not blame them, though; he wholeheartedly agreed. Gently placing the sketchbook on her chest, he lifted her up and disappeared through a portal.

* * *

"_**Seeeeeraaaaaaas," a voice sweetly sang while she lay on the cool grass relaxing. Sitting up, she saw her mother running towards her, a loving smile brightening her face. She jumped up and st**__**arted to run towards her mother, "Mommy!"**_

"_**Seeeeeraaaas," she sang again. Reaching her mother, she jumped into her awaiting arms as they laughed happily together. She felt like she was floating.**_

"_**Seras, wake up."**_

_**The young girl looked at her mother in confusion. "What are you talking about?"**_

"_**Wake up, Seras." Her mother's voice was different this time. It started to change into a deeper, rougher tone. 'This is not Mommy; who is this?" She tried ripping herself from the imposter's arms, but they were too strong.**_

_**Shaking the small child, she continued to shout, "Seras wake up! Wake up, Seras!"**_

"_**Stop, why you are doing this? Stop-" The whole field was suddenly submerged into a cloud of darkness.**_

Jolting awake she tried to calm her breathing. "Relax, Seras; I'm taking you home. Where do you live?"

Looking up, her face met Alucard's. She saw that she was back in the park. Alucard stopped walking once he got to the street and waited patiently for her to come to her senses. Sheepishly giving him directions, she was surprised at how safe she felt laying in his arms. Snuggling closer, she rested her head against his chest; wanting to hold on to this feeling as long possible for, reflecting bitterly, she knew it would end soon. The silence was welcome; she had no desire to ruin the moment.

Alucard was deep in thought. He could not understand why he felt such a strong pull towards her. He was becoming strangely attached to this young girl, more than he would have liked to admit. Brushing the feeling off, he reached her street. Arriving at her house, he gazed upon it with dismay. _**'This is the shithole she lives in? No wonder she is always out so late.' **_He rested her on her feet and she thanked him. Reluctantly, she started for the front door.

She had not gone far when she turned back, "You're Dracula, aren't you?" His face was emotionless.

"Why do you say that?"

"Walter said people used to call you Dracula when you were human. Your name is Dracula backwards. You're him, aren't you; you're the guy from the stories." It was then that Alucard let a grin play upon his face. This was too rich. It took people years to figure out that little fact, yet this eight year old girl managed to unravel it in less than a day.

"Very clever of you to notice, little one; I changed it because it carried too many ridiculous stereotypes and drew unnecessary attention to me. Regardless, I happened to like Alucard; it has a nice ring to it."

"Walter says you're a different vampire, so does that mean sunlight can't kill you?"

"Sunlight can not kill vampires, Seras. That is a myth; it simply weakens them. The longer they stay in it, the weaker they get and that leaves them vulnerable to attackers." Understanding, she nodded but did not move.

Taking that as an opportunity to ask, he did. "Who is the woman you keep drawing in that book of yours?"

"My mom; I draw her to remember, but for some reason the more I draw, the more I forget what she's like." Seras's tone never betrayed her but her eyes did; they showed the sorrow she felt within them.

"What happened to her?"

A single tear escaped and rolled down her pale cheek, "She hung herself in the attic."

Grabbing the key to her front door from under a secret rock, she unlocked the door. "Will I ever see you-" Looking back, Alucard was gone.

Opening the door and firmly locking it behind her, an intense loneliness settled in the pit of her stomach. How could she expect to forget everything that had happened? She did not want to; the truth was, since her mother, she had not felt so protected then when she was with Alucard. Hugging the rose close to her, she attempted to reach her room without being detected by her father. She succeeded in reaching the top of the stairs, but one creak from the floorboard gave her away. When the TV shut off; stricken with fear, Seras bolted to her room and closed the door. In only a few moments, he would walk through it and she would be punished. Listening to the furious stamping as her father ascended the stairs, she prepared herself for the beating she knew would come.

Her father burst through the door. "Where the fuck have you been you little shit?"

Seras said nothing; she did not know what to say considering he would not believe her anyway. Smacking her across the face, he bellowed, "Answer me!"

Tears formed in her eyes as she stuttered, "I- I was- um- I was with Mrs. Florea." Grabbing a fistful of her hair, Claudiu slammed her against the wall, causing her to drop the contents in her hands. She hoped he would not see them, but that was wishful thinking.

He kicked the sketchbook to the side, ripping a couple of pages, and picked up the rose. "I went to that old hags dump and she said she hadn't seen you. So where the fuck did you get this?" When she said nothing, he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her in the air. Seras frantically tried to pry his hand off her neck. Her lungs burned to the point where she thought they would burst from her chest. Oxygen flooded through her wind pipe as she dropped to the ground gasping for air.

"You see this?" Showing her the rose, he threw it onto the floor and crushed it with his foot. "This is that same shit your mother brought into this fucking house. I will not allow it!"

"No!" Devastated, she did not try to hold back the tears. Crawling over to the broken flower, she wept while trying to retrieve the remains.

Spitting on her, he unbuckled his belt. "You disgust me." Lifting his arm, he began to whip Seras in long, ruthless strokes. With every snap of the belt buckle, she let out agonizing cries.

Seconds turned into minutes when her father finally stopped. Breathing heavily, he put on his belt and adjusted it. "If you ever try to pull that stunt again, the punishment will be worse. I don't need fucking police at my door, you understand me, you little bitch?" Not waiting for a response, he stormed out the door, slamming it shut.

Seras weakly dragged herself towards her bed as best she could. Her body stung with immense pain. With rose petals still in hand, she coiled herself into a ball and fell asleep, never noticing a pair of red eyes staring down at her from above.

* * *

He had witnessed the whole thing; watched it all, but had not interfered. It was not his problem, so why should he care; he tried to convince himself of this as he melted from the ceiling. For a while, he just stood there, studying her as she slept. _**'So this is why she was so nervous to talk about her father.' **_Kneeling beside her bed he tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. He could not help but feel pity for the small child laying broken before him. Straightening up, he forced those feelings away; vanishing from her room. Seras would not realize until morning, that the petals in her hand had been replaced by a single scarlet rose that lay atop her pillow.

* * *

**I would like to thank Anime WarriorSkye and my good friend Cecilia for being so patient and editing my work!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Hellsing.**

**Sorry for the long wait but I have to say, this chapter was difficult to write. With all the interruptions, I found it was hard to get motivated. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Please review, tell me what you think; I'm a bit nervous about how this chapter turned out. Oh and by the way, to those who have been leaving me messages that are rudely telling me to hurry up, please stop. I have a life; I'm very busy trying to keep up my marks for university and would really appreciate if I did not have people telling me to write faster. The chapters will be out when they're out! Enjoy guys! :)**

**/**

**Chapter 4: Magnet for Danger**

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into a month, but still there was no sign of him. Seras had never felt more alone; lying atop her bed, she stared blankly at the white ceiling above her as the emptiness threatened to suck her into the nothingness. There was no use in fighting, and reluctantly, she accepted it. For the first two weeks of his absence, Seras would wait faithfully for Alucard at the park until darkness engulfed the horizon. Everyday, she hoped for his return, but the reality was that he had left, and it was like ice in her veins to think of it. Occasionally, she would return to the park to sit and wait; but each time proved as futile as the last, and she would walk back home, defeated.

Seras stood up and padded over to the dresser to get ready for school. Summer was approaching quickly, which meant two very important things: the end of school, and the beginning of beautifully warm weather to play in. No school meant no kids; and no kids meant that there would be no one to pick on her. The warm weather was merely a bonus that allowed her to stay outside of the house, and away from her father; as long as she was home before provincial curfew, he had no reason to care.

Standing in front of the mirror, Seras studied her body. There were only a few recent cuts and bruises since her father's last violent attack. The angry purple markings had faded to a light yellow hue. Disgusted by her reflection, she moved away, and pulled out a pair of black jeans and a green T-shirt to get dressed. It was not that she hated how she looked, in fact she actually thought she was quite pretty; it was the way her reflection seemed to judge her. It was a reminder to Seras that she was different from all the other children in school. She was unloved and strange, a freak whose mother had killed herself, and whose alcoholic father routinely punished her for it.

Once fully dressed and toiletries dealt with, Seras was ready for school. Walking over to her nightstand, she picked up the withered rose; a morning ritual that she had developed. A small smile appeared on her lips as she remembered the morning she found it upon her pillow case. She knew it was Alucard who had put it there, and she thanked him. It was this, that got her through the days when all she wanted to do was break down and cry. The rose was what motivated her to push past the turmoil; it gave her hope to believe that he would come back one day.

Placing it gently into her sketchbook, she quickly slipped it underneath her mattress. With the art book completely hidden, Seras made her way downstairs and headed to the fridge to pick up a quick snack. There was a small note waiting for her on the countertop, _'I'll be back; there's money for you on the fridge. Don't do anything stupid and keep your mouth shut!' _

Pulling a chair up to the fridge, she took the ten dollars that lay there. Seras knew that she was not allowed to be home alone without supervision, but to say anything would bring about dire consequences when her father returned. Claudius did this frequently; he would disappear for about a week and come back with a large amount of money. She did not know where the money came from, nor would she ever; to think of asking him was almost suicidal. Seras had no interest in her father's business, anyway; as long as there was food and shelter, she felt no need to dig for further information.

Seras left the house without grabbing anything to eat; she would buy some better food at the corner store up the street. Judging by the amount of money her father had left, he would not be gone for longer then two days.

/

Alucard took in the scents around him. The faint odour of smoke engulfed his senses and the air surrounding the remains of a scorched village. He had taken a tour into the forest, where he last remembered the goblin hideout to be located. The odd behaviour of the barghest had caught his interest and he wanted to investigate. He could not fathom why someone would want to burn down the goblin village. Apart from being a disgusting nuisance, that lived off of theft and had no sense of personal hygiene, the goblin community tended to stay away from others. Expect when it came to barghests. They had a deal together; the barghests protected the goblins and in return, were treated as gods.

Stepping over some of the rubble, he wandered around trying to find a lead as to what had happened. Alucard detected the sound of scurrying, at the very outskirts of the ruins. Turning towards the noise, he caught sight of a small creature hiding amongst the bushes. Having been seen, it hurried in the opposite direction. Swiftly, Alucard pursued.

It was fast, and not being in a particularly spirited mood, he chose a different tactic to catch the little pest. Morphing into a mist, he followed the creature and waited for it to slow down. It slouched against the tree in relief, leaving itself vulnerable. Reappearing before it, Alucard yanked the tiny creature off the ground and pinned it against the trunk at eye level.

"Please don't kill me! I'll do whatever you want!" The creature pleaded in desperation.

Alucard realized he had been chasing a measly gnome, "I have no intention of killing you; I would merely like some questions answered. Are you from around this area?"

"Y-yes, M'lord."

"Ah, so you know who I am. For future reference, runt, if you ever run from me again, I will kill you. As king, I deserve more respect than what you've shown me." Alucard spoke in a warning tone.

"I'm so sorry, M'lord, I was just frightened when you-"

"Silence!" He bellowed, cutting the gnome off; his patience was thinning. "I do not care for your excuses." Placing the frightened creature back on the ground, Alucard proceeded. "If you are from around here, tell me, what has happened to this village?"

"I did not see it, M'lord, but there have been raids like this happening more often than not. I have heard talk of humans in armour marching towards the forests and destroying the creatures. I know not why they do it; they go around razing everything in their paths. The same happened here, M'lord; in fact, we are all slowly being pushed from the lands. Some of us have no place to go and are now trying to reside in human forests to find food and a life again."

Alucard was shocked by this information; however, things were starting to fall into place. _**'During this attack, the barghests must have fled, leaving the goblins behind; having no place to go, they were probably trying to find food in human forests. That explains why Seras was attacked under such strange circumstances. But that still leaves the question; who are these humans?' **_

Drawing his attention back to the gnome, he continued. "Who are these humans? Very few know where these enchanted forests are located and even for those who do, penetrating the barriers is extremely difficult, if not impossible."

"I don't know who they are, M'lord; I don't even know how they got through. All I have heard is they fight in the name of God to rid the earth of 'Hell's vermin'."

Alucard nodded in understanding, "Thank you for the information, you may leave." With that, the gnome bowed and continued on his way. Alucard headed back to the castle; he wanted to inform Walter of this new discovery. He hoped that Walter could help him solve his unanswered questions. He would not allow worthless humans to destroy what he had worked so hard to uphold!

/

Walter was lounging in his study, reading, when there was a loud knock at the door. He was curious as to who could knocking; not many of the servants in the castle came to his private quarters. When he opened the door, he was astonished to see Alucard leaning against its frame.

"In all my life, I did not think that I would see the day when you knocked and patiently waited at the door."

"Yes, well, I have seen you naked one too many times while walking in unannounced."

"Ah, wonderful; I was beginning to think that you enjoyed those moments, concidering as how often they occurred," Walter teased.

Smirking, he replied, "Don't flatter yourself, Angel of Death; there's not much to see."

Laughing, Walter moved aside to let his master in. "I haven't been called that in a while; it just goes to show you how long it's been since the last time I was in battle, but I digress. What can I do for you, Alucard?"

"The night that Seras was attacked by the barghest; its behaviour was very unusual. I went to go speak with the goblins, but the village had been burnt to the ground. Apparently, there are humans penetrating the barriers of the enchanted forest; I want you to try and find some information on them."

"Humans in the enchanted forest; how is that possible?"

"I don't know, Walter, which is why I'm asking you to find out," Alucard retorted, slightly annoyed.

"Sorry. Yes, I will look into it, but I cannot promise that I will find anything." Nodding, he was about to leave when Walter added, "Care for a game in chess later on? It's been a while since I've won and my ego could use a boost."

Smiling, Alucard took the bait. "You're on, but don't go crying when I destroy you."

"If I do recall correctly, the only games you have won are the ones you've cheated in. No mind reading, or so help me, Alucard, I'll shove a knight so far up your arse, you'll have to get it surgically removed."

/

That evening, a seasonal fair was being held by her school, where all the happy families came together to chat and act absolutely perfect together. Seras loved the atmosphere it gave off; she felt normal when she attended the event. However, in previous years, she did not have the money to participate in any of the activities, and instead ended up watching the others while she played in the nearby playground. Although it was against her better judgement, Seras was attracted to the fun like a moth to a flame, so she decided to use the rest of her father's money on some games.

/

It was around seven-thirty when everyone started to gather their families and head home. Making her way home by herself, Seras' good mood quickly turned sour as her three most obnoxious tormentors blocked her path from all sides.

"What do you guys want now? Can't you leave me alone for two seconds?"

She had not wanted to run into Alexandru, Alin, and Andrei; not when things had been going so well.

"One, two, time's up, stupid head." Alin mocked, causing the other boys to giggle.

"Real mature; well, unlike some people, I have to go home because I have _better _things to do with my time! Why don't you idiots do the same?" Seras replied as she tried to push past the boys.

Alexandru grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the circle. "Not so fast, we're not done with you; besides, a freak like you can't be that busy. All you do is write in that stupid book of yours; losers like you have nothing better to do but be a loser." The "A-Team" laughed in unison while Seras stood there, resignedly, arms folded, watching them act like complete imbeciles.

Andrei was the first to sober up and advance towards her. Both parties knew what was going to happen next; there was no getting out of this one. Bracing herself for the inevitable, she took the first push to the ground rather well. The kicks following after were more painful, but Seras knew it would only hurt for a bit; being kicked in the same place repeatedly resulted in the numbing of that general area. For some form of protection, she assumed the fetal position and covered her head. The kicks came as fast as the insults thrown at her.

"Hey, you punks!" The boys paused as a man approached. "Yeah you, stop that!" Startled, the boys quickly forgot what they were doing, and huddled closer together as the man stopped before them. "What do you think you guys are doing bullying that poor girl? Three-on-one, you shitheads are really cool, huh? Get out of here, you runts; go, scram!"

The boys scurried away like dogs with their tails in-between their legs. "No-good punks." Turning his head, he asked, "Are you okay, Seras?"

A tall-built man with at least a week's worth of stubble on his face stood over her. He wore a ragged black wife beater under a leather jacket, accompanied by ripped jeans and a pair of extremely dirty, old, work boots. She was utterly confused by how this man knew her name. Internally, she debated if he was another vampire; completely oblivious to the fact that she still had a white sticker name-tag on her shirt from the fair.

"Um, yeah I'm okay, thank you." Picking herself up off the ground, she proceeded towards her house like she had originally planned; the last thing she needed was another vampire in her life. Something told her that not all of them would be as nice as Alucard.

"Wait, hold up; you _are_ Seras, right?"

Rather than responding, she simply nodded. "Look, I'm here to pick you up and take you home, sweetie." Stretching his arm out, he offered his hand to her.

Staring at it, she refused; she had never seen this guy before and he was starting to scare her. "N-no, it's okay; I'll just walk home. I'm used to it. Thank you, anyway." Turning to leave, she was halted again.

"Come now, Seras; it is way too dark out for you to be walking home alone. Don't worry; you can trust me. My name's Ion, I'm a good friend of your mother's. She told me to pick you up and take you home. Now, come with me. It's okay; I won't hurt you."

The wind chilled where Seras stood. When bad things happened, they _always _got worse. She took a step away from the man and he went to follow her. "Stay back, I said stay back, you liar!"

Ion was becoming extremely agitated. "Now, why would you go and say such a mean thing like that? That hurts my feelings, Seras; I came to your rescue from those mean boys. Your mother is very worried." He stared hungrily at her, as a predator would its prey.

The words ripped through her like a knife.

"My mother is dead." Then, she ran.

/

"Check."

"Alucard, you can only declare check if my king is in jeopardy."

"What are you talking about? It is. Look, my tower can kill your king."

Walter signed, "First of all, it's called a rook, and second, that is my queen. But, thank you anyway; that move just allowed me to win." Replacing the king with his knight, he affirmed his winning status. "Checkmate."

Smiling arrogantly, Walter waited for a defeated reaction from the vampire. Getting nothing, he folded his arms and sighed knowingly. "You miss her, don't you?"

Standing up, Alucard started to put the game away; he took a moment to answer. "Don't be absurd; she is just a pathetic human. Why would I waste my time thinking about her?"

"Well, for one, I've never known you to clean up after our games of chess which proves that you are bothered by something. Secondly, you've been off ever since you escorted Miss Victoria to her home. Lastly, you have played enough chess in your undead life to know the difference between the queen and king; and frankly, the way you played today was absolutely rubbish, which means that you are distracted." Walter continued to press the situation.

Chuckling, Alucard leaned against a window sill while he looked beyond the glass barrier. "You think you've got me all figured out, don't you?"

"I know you better then you think. I've lived with you long enough to know when something is amiss and you have been quite distant lately."

"You're right, Walter; I haven't been myself, but it has nothing to do with that girl; I assure you." Alucard said, trying to convince both Walter and himself.

"Mhmm, if you say so. However, when you do feel up to par, I demand a rematch; I find it dissatisfying that the one time you decide to play fair is when you don't give a shit. Pardon my language, but it doesn't make my win as enjoyable." Walter gave him a warm smile and a playful slap on the shoulder.

"You're a good friend, Walter; it will be a shame when you die."

"Thanks," he replied sarcastically, "I'm flattered you're _so_ concerned with my well being."

"Oh, you're very welcome. Perhaps I'll turn you into a vampire so we can be together forever." Alucard batted his eyelashes teasingly.

"Right… Well, I appreciate your offer, but when I die I would prefer to actually stay dead, thank you." Walter smiled. "While we're on such a light note, I have something I'd like to give you."

"Wonderful, I love surprises. Lead the way, my good sir," Alucard drawled in a noble tone.

/

Loud rustling emanated through the small storage room as Walter rummaged to find the object he was looking for. "Ah, here it is." Turning around, he held out a transparent sphere.

"Uh, you wanted to give me a crystal ball? No offense, but I have no need to see into the futures of others," Alucard stated dryly.

Walter rolled his eyes and brought the sphere under the lamp light. "It's not a crystal ball, you idiot. It's an orb of energy called 'The Eye of the Gods.' It is an accumulation of psionic energy that has been released into the atmosphere and fused together. They are extremely hard to find unless you know where to look. Anyway, I digress; it's called 'The Eye of the Gods' because it allows you to see anything happening at that exact moment anywhere around the world."

Feeling the orb, Alucard frowned. "It doesn't feel like energy."

"Of course not. If everyone knew about them, then people would be constantly spying on each other and it would be bloody chaos." Walter chuckled to himself, "That is just what it looks like when it's dormant; ask it a question and you will see what happens."

"So, why are you giving this to me? It is not something that someone should just give away to anyone."

"Yes, well, you are not anyone and more importantly, I have no need for it. I think you could benefit from it much more than I have. I never use it anymore, so it just collects dust. I was thinking that you could use it to find some information about who is destroying the forest. However, I must caution you; be careful what you ask to see. The truth can be a hard pill to swallow, as I'm sure you very well know. Also, do not tell anyone about this; the less who know about the orb, the better." Walter's face was stern, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

"I'm not five, Walter; I think I can manage, thank you." With that, Alucard dismissed himself and vanished from the room.

The elder man grinned, feeling quite victorious. He _had _felt that Alucard could use 'The Eye of the Gods' to collect information about the occurrences in the enchanted woods; but for the most part, he wanted the vampire to get his fix of Seras out of his system, so the man could act like himself again.

/

Once in the confines of his private quarters, Alucard set the orb on the table. Pouring himself a glass of blood wine, he settled himself in front of the majestic ball. _**'Hm, what should I ask?' **_A thought of Seras entered in his mind; pushing the thought aside, he tried to think of something else to ask.

Remembering what Walter had suggested, he took a sip from his cup and spoke. "Who is behind the pillaging of the enchanted forest?" Suddenly, the orb jerked. Levitating from the table, it started to morph into a bubble of energy, emitting immense levels of psionic power. An image started to appear within the bubble. Leaning forward, the distorted image started to become clear.

Alucard's eyebrows drew together; it looked like a military base. _**'How would the military know where the forest was? These can't be ordinary soldiers; possibly hunters, but that still doesn't explain how they're penetrating the barriers.' **_

As the moving images continued to play out, he saw that the letters that were engraved deeply in a golden plaque above the entrance doors read 'Hellsing.'

"Where can I find this _Hellsing _organization?" Again, the image distorted to form a new scene. Alucard recognized the city; it was located in Transylvania's capital, approximately two hours north of the central Sibiu. Satisfied, he leaned back into his chair and took another sip from his cup. _**'What a nifty little trinket; I'll be sure to use this more often.' **_

He decided he would look into the matters of his findings on a later date; right now, all he wanted to do was relax. The vampire tired to close his eyes, but they abruptly snapped open as a premonition about Seras tore through his mind. He glared at the still orb that rested on the table. He could not understand why thoughts of her kept coming back to plague him. Looking away, he strummed his nails hard against the wood. It was roughly a minute that passed while Alucard fought a war within himself, battling out whether to check up on Seras, before he gave in to his curiosity.

"Show me the girl." Nothing happened; The Eye of the Gods lay completely still. He sighed irritably. "Where is Seras Victoria?" The orb flinched, repeating its previous display and granting him the answer to his question. As the picture focused, Alucard's eyes filled with fury; there was a low growl in the back of his throat before he abruptly disappeared from the room.

/

"Get back here, you little bitch!"

Adrenaline pumped through Seras' veins as she sprinted across the field. She could not calculate how far away he was from her; all she cared about was running faster.

_**'Someone help me!'**_

Ion lunged at her and just managed to catch hold of her ankle, causing Seras to crash onto the cool grass. The man crawled up her body and forced his weight on her so that she could not move.

"Stop! Help! Someone, please he-!" The man snaked his arm around her body and shoved a cloth into her mouth, shutting her up. Tears poured down her pale, cut cheeks, mixing with dirt and blood. She tried to squirm out of the man's iron grip, but his hold on her was far too strong.

"Oh, you're a feisty little morsel, aren't you?" Thrusting his groin into her rear, she could feel the evidence of his arousal. "I'm really going to enjoy playing with you. How about we break you in, huh?" The man began to drag Seras away, but she refused to go without a fight; flailing her body frantically, she tried to loosen his grip on her.

"Stop…moving..." he panted, trying to keep her under control. A low rumble sounded out of nowhere; he paused, looking around as best he could while keeping her pinned to the ground.

"Who's there?" He was rewarded with a startling snarl that caught even Seras' attention. Slightly moving off of her, he looked over his shoulder to find himself faced with the largest Baskerville hound he had ever seen. Ion stared fearfully at the pair of dark orbs boring angrily through him. The large dog jolted from its stance and charged at him. Pushing up off of Seras, he scrambled to his feet and made a run for it.

Feeling the weight of the hound on his shoulders, Ion screamed and fell to the ground, several ribs cracking under its immense mass.

Seras heard him yell out in agony as a series of noises, distinguishable as the cracking of bones, traveled to her eardrums. The hound tore at the man's back relentlessly, leaving large gashes for his blood to inundate, and shredding the lost flesh until there were hardly any remnants of skin left. Tainted blood squirted from the open wounds and bathed the earth in polluted essence. The hound went for his jugular, tearing a chunk from his neck; crimson fluid spluttered from his mouth, creating nauseating, gurgling sounds from deep within her attacker's throat.

The hound ceased its assault for a moment and turned to stare at Seras. Her eyes widened as its formerly black eyes turned red and were joined by two more identical pairs.

Ion caught sight of a broken tree branch within his range of grasp; stretching out as far as he could, he managed to grab it. Rolling over in a last attempt to get the Baskerville off of him, he smashed the branch into the side of its head. It howled in pain and moved back a few steps, allowing Seras's attacker to regain a standing position. The hound recovered rapidly from the blow, however, and snarled one last time before launching itself towards Ion's lower region. The man bellowed in agony; his jeans were torn apart as the hound's jaw firmly clamped around his scrotum, crushing the fragile skin.

Ion was paralyzed; the excruciating pain prevented him from moving any further. Suddenly, it began to rip his flesh at an agonizingly slow pace, until finally; his priced possessions were completely removed from his person. Spitting out the revolting meat, blood dripped from the hound's mouth, staining its fur. Walking over to the man, now pathetically shaking and screaming on the ground, it watched serenely as the man seized helplessly until his movement had died down to a jerking twitch. Only when he had completely stilled did the hound tear its gaze away, returning its attention to Seras, and made its way over to her.

Stricken with fear, her only reaction was to hide her face, praying it would leave her alone. Moments passed and she felt no pain. Peeking out from over her arms, she saw it sitting in front of her, staring. The two extra pairs of glowing red eyes that she had seen appear before, rolled into the back of its head, and fur grew over them.

In almost above a whisper, she pleaded. "Please don't hurt me."

It stood up, startling Seras, who ducked back under the safety of her arms. When no harm came to her for the second time, she looked back up to find the hound nowhere in sight.

"You are a magnet for trouble; you know that, little one?" A voice came from behind her.

Yelping in fright, she shot around to come face to face with the one man she had been waiting for, for what seemed like years. Emotions hit her full force; running towards him and embracing him; she finally allowed herself to be that scared, lonely child who was allowed to cry, and wept.

Tears soaked through the material of his overcoat as she choked out her sorrow in a watery mumble. "I thought I'd never see you again. Don't ever leave me again!"

A familiar feeling tugged at his dead heart that he had not experienced in over two centuries: pure compassion, and the angry guilt of knowing he could have prevented this, but chose his pride and ignored her. Somehow, she had weaseled her way into his life and he could not seem to push her back out of it. He did not know why he felt so strongly towards the human, but he decided to accept it; she _needed_ him and it had been a very long time since he had felt needed.

With a heavy sigh, Alucard scooped her up into his arms and allowed her to continue crying into his chest. After a few minutes of walking, Seras's weeping had died down to sporadic sniffles; however, she stayed nuzzled close to him.

Looking down at her, he smiled; he had no idea that such a simple action could make him feel so warm and light-hearted.

Seras was the first to break the silence. In a meek voice, she asked, "Can I go home with you again?"

Setting her on the ground, he stated, "I do not think that's a good idea; you might get in trouble."

"My dad is out of town right now and I don't want to be alone; please, can I come with you?" Her eyes begged.

"Very well, then." Walking towards a secluded area, he stopped when he noticed that she was not following. Looking behind him, his face twisted into a perplexed smile; Seras was jumping up and down with a grin that stretched from ear to ear on her face. "Are you coming or not?"

Snapping into action, she ran to follow him, her eyes twinkling with excitement. Humming a small tune, she reached up to hold Alucard's hand. He watched her in confusion and shook his head at her utter contentment, _**'It's ridiculous how the smallest act makes humans so happy…'**_

"Have you eaten, Seras?" Before she could respond, her stomach beat her to it, and she blushed furiously in embarrassment. He chuckled. "I guess not."

/

"Maybe it wasn't a good idea to give her food," Walter joked.

From his comfortable spot on the bench, Alucard monitored Seras, who was playing with his Cerberus, Reaper, out in the gardens. She thundered around wildly with renewed energy from the meal. It was entertaining to watch her little frame trying to run away with the giant ball, only to have it snatched away from above her. Her giggling spread throughout the grounds, brightening the atmosphere around it.

"I have a feeling she never gets to do this; let her have her fun. Besides, it's kind of cute watching her with Reaper."

Walter froze in disbelief. Looking at his friend, he teased, "Do my ears deceive me? Did you just say 'cute'?"

"Shut up; you tell anyone I said that and I'll kill you." Turning to look at Walter, he grinned. "I have a reputation to uphold."

"Oh yes, and if the world knew that the almighty King Alucard said the word 'cute', it would be bloody chaos!" Chuckling, he added, "Don't worry; your secret is safe with me; I just never thought I would see the day."

Returning his gaze to Seras, his sarcastic grin transformed into a genuine smile. She was dangling from the ball, refusing to let go while the three-headed dog shook it. When she could not hold on any longer, she dropped onto the grass and tried to scramble away. Pouncing over her, he blocked her from continuing forward. Dodging him, she tried to go around him from the right. When Reaper again blocked her path, Seras decided to be clever; she ducked and crawled underneath the giant dog. Quickly catching onto her plan, Reaper twirled to chase her. In a giggle filled scream, she scampered over to Alucard, hopping up onto his lap and buried her head into his neck for security.

Alucard went rigid with uncertainty; he was not accustomed to such bold actions from anyone, let alone an eight year old child. Looking up at Walter as if asking what to do, he was answered with a soft smile and a brief shrug.

Noticing that Reaper had come to a halt before its master, Seras jumped off of Alucard's lap as abruptly as she had hopped onto it, running for the ball to play more fetch.

Standing up, he walked over to Walter. "I need you to do me a favour."

/

While playing with Reaper, Seras needed a little break. Curling up beside the now panting Cerberus, she glanced over at Alucard. He was talking to Walter and by the look on both men's faces; it seemed to be about something serious. With a sharp nod from Walter, they exchanged a few more words before Alucard turned to leave.

"Wait!"

He stopped to see what she wanted.

Reaching him, she asked, "Where are you going?"

Cocking a brow, he replied. "Not that it is any of your business, but I'm heading to my office to get some work done."

"Can I come?" Seras appealed.

Massaging his temples in frustration, he sternly said, "No."

Pushing the subject, she tried to assure him. "I promise you won't even notice I'm there." Shifting her eyes from left to right, she added, "I'll be like a ninja, lurking in the shadows."

Rolling his eyes, he irritably said, "Fine, I'll allow you to show off your 'crazy ninja skills.' You can be my personal door guard and keep all intruders out while I work, including yourself."

Watching Seras run to catch up with the vampire, Walter shook his head in contented disbelief. _**'Alucard may be rough around the edges but I have to admit he is better with kids than I expected.'**_

Whistling, he called to Reaper, who loudly stomped his way over. "Let's get you some food, you great big ball of fluff." With that, they disappeared into the castle.

/

Alucard was thoroughly engrossed by Seras's theatrics. She was exuberantly marching back and forth, in front of his office doors, in what she considered to be a "guardly" manner. Aggravated by her childish antics, he forcefully shut them behind him to get some overdue paperwork finished.

After about five minutes of pacing, Seras had started to get extremely bored and wanted to see what Alucard was up to. She quickly opened the door and peeked inside. Before she could get a good look at what he was doing, he was yelling at her to get out.

"But _why_?" She whined, "I'm so _bored_!"

Shooting a dark look at her, he warned, "Seras, get out before I physically throw you out."

"But-"

"Now!" Squeaking, she shut the door and huffed melodramatically. Turning back to the closed office, she shouted, "You're such a meany!"

Sighing, she slumped against the stone wall and settled down on the floor, humming softly to herself as boredom took hold of her. Soon enough, her eyes became heavy and her head dropped forward. She had not had much rest, and after the day's exhausting events, she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

/

"I was not aware that the new trend was to have an unconscious child as decoration outside doors. I think I prefer it to a greeting mat."

Snapping his head up to glare at the intruder, Alucard's face quickly brightened at the man before him.

"Well, you know, I have always been renowned for my exquisite taste. I strive to have my home looking its best for my guests." Standing up, he walked around the desk to embrace his old friend.

"I think you're getting a little rusty, my friend; you were so engrossed with whatever you were doing you failed to even notice me. Tsk tsk, I've never known you to be so careless."

Chuckling, Alucard offered him a chair. "Yes, well, I'm falling behind on my paperwork; I'm a very busy man, you know, ruling a kingdom and all."

"I can imagine being the King of not only those who are damned, but all mystical creatures, could get quite strenuous. Nevertheless, I would be more than happy to take that title off your hands." The man said, bearing a wicked smile.

"Not likely. You would have to take it by force, and well, we saw how the last attempt turned out." Alucard mocked his friend's failed efforts to take over the kingdom.

"Oh yes, those were the days when we absolutely hated each other's existence."

Grinning he inquired, "So what brings you to Romania? From what I remember, you went back to Africa?"

/

Waking up on the cold ground, Seras could hear voices coming from Alucard's office. Scrambling to her feet, she burst through the door. "Hey you, you're not supposed to be in here; Alucard has a lot to do and can't be bothered! I have to stop anyone from coming in here! So get out!"

"And that's my stealthy ninja guard." Alucard nodded towards Seras.

"Ah, so she's not just a wall decoration. Well then, I must say she has impeccable timing; I'm surprised I even made it past the door without being stopped." The man's comical remark earned him a thunderous laugh from across the table.

Shooting a dark look at the intruder, Seras took a better look of the man. He was a hideous, alien looking creature; he had grey skin with vibrant purple streaks down the left side of his face. Located in the middle of his forehead was a pink circle; within the centre, a yellow marking. Similar yellow markings could be found just above his chin, high on his scalp and on both temples. His right eye was the only normal thing on his body, it seemed. The left was abnormally large, and looked extremely bloodshot, as if he had a severe infection. To top it all off, his iris was completely black, causing Seras to cringe with disgust.

Without even thinking, she sputtered, "Ew, what happened to your face?"

The man glared at her menacingly, the atmosphere in the room instantly going cold. Shuddering, Seras took a couple of steps backwards while his eyes continued to rake over her frame. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Alucard's soft chortle.

"This is an old friend of mine, Incognito."

"H-Hello." Seras waved, giving him an embarrassed smile.

"Anyway, now that you two have been acquainted, I no longer need your _prompt_ and _on time_ guard skills. Go to Walter; he is in the tower. When you exit this door, take a left, go all way down to the end, and take the first two rights you see. You will come to a door; beyond it, there are a series of stairs; take them and you will reach the tower."

Wanting to get out and away from Incognito as quickly as possible, she nodded and left the room.

Once she was gone, Incognito shifted his eyes to his friend and stared questionably. "A human child?"

"Yeah, well, she grows on you, believe it or not."

"I don't. Alucard, what has gotten into you? Humans serve only one purpose, _as our food supply, _nothing else, especially not as companions!"

"Do not berate me for what I choose to do. I know exactly what I'm doing, and if you saw what she has had to live through, you would understand as well." Alucard did not understand why he felt so angered by Incognito's criticism. He had never before, felt the need to explain his actions, simply because he did not care what others thought. But something about envisioning Seras being used as food set him off; he felt he needed to defend his position.

"Very well then, I just hope you know what you're doing." Pausing, both men bathed in the silence until Incognito's curiosity got the better of him and he inquired, "Enlighten me though; what does this young human have to deal with?"

"Her father is...abusive." Alucard abandoned his reply midway; it was pointless to try to explain; Incognito would not understand. They may be friends, but he could never forget how cruel and uncaring Incognito could get when it came to humans. He did not kill for survival, he killed for something to do and the sheer enjoyment of watching them suffer, something Alucard had very much grown out of long ago. He was far too sophisticated and mature to lower himself to indulging in such juvenile activities.

"I think you've gone soft," Incognito laughed to himself. "When did you start caring about the well-being of humans?"

"I don't; I couldn't care less about humans, but for some reason she just seemed to attach herself to me… like a fungus."

"That's disgusting; maybe if you showered, you could get rid of her."

"I'll do that right after I put a bullet through your head."

/

After the fifth yawn, Walter decided it was time to put young Seras to bed. He could tell she was struggling to keep her weary eyes open and her head erect. Walking over the child, he coaxed her to her feet.

"Come now, Miss Victoria. Let's get you into a warm bed, shall we?" Gently nudging her to follow, he noticed she was barely dragging her feet behind him. Smiling softly, he picked her up and carried her to her room.

Once they had finally reached a vacant room, Walter gently laid her on the soft mattress. Peeling off her shoes and socks, he went over the nearest dresser, pulling out a long, beautiful white nightgown fit for a queen. He heard her gasp with excitement as she smiled. He placed his hands on the gown; running them down the length of the soft fabric, he said, "Fio vegrandis."

Right before her eyes, the dress began to shrink, stopping at a size perfectly matched to her own. Excited at being privileged enough to wear such a gorgeous nightgown, Seras jumped out of bed and stripped down to only her underwear before Walter even had a chance to look at her.

He turned towards her and gave a warm chuckle. "Anxious, I see? Come on, let's get you dressed and into bed." Quickly padding towards him she lifted up her arms, awaiting the soft material to be slipped on. When she was dressed and ready for bed, Walter tucked her in. Sitting down beside her, he gave her nose a playful flick, "Good morning Miss Victoria."

Giggling, she poked his nose back and replied, "Good nigh- I mean morning, Walter."

"If you need anything, Alucard's quarters are just down the hall, and as for me, I'll be continuing the project I was working on in the tower. Do not hesitate to ask us for anything you need." Releasing the child from a comforting hug, Walter stood up and left, closing the door behind him.

Shutting her tired eyes, Seras let herself drift off with a smile dancing on her face. For the first time in years, nightmares did not plague her mind, and she faded into a world of calming bliss.

/

Falling off the bed with a loud thud, Seras bolted awake, frantically looking around. Catching her breath, she nursed her pain-stricken bottom and crawled back onto the bed. With an irritated huff, she tried to go back to sleep. Hearing a sudden creak from behind her, she froze, trying to listen in. It was pitch black in the room, since no windows occupied the walls. All she could discern were the outlines of furniture and a faint glow coming from underneath the door. A second creak came, accompanied by another shortly thereafter. Quickly hopping out of bed, she felt her way along the walls, trying to find the light switch. Panic started to set in when she could not find where it was located. Pausing, she tried to listen for more noises, but heard only the eerie silence within the room. Heart racing, Seras turned her gaze to the soft glow that radiated inwards from the corridor; she ran towards it, yanking the door open. Heading down the hallway, she came to a familiar door, Alucard's bedroom. Slowly opening the door, she snuck in only to find that she had not gone unnoticed. He was seated in his massive chair, wearing nothing but black trousers, looking up at her in surprise from the book he was reading.

"Seras, what are you doing up? Are you all right?"

Walking over to him, he allowed her to crawl onto his lap. Burying her head in his shoulder, she whispered, "I was scared; I heard noises in my room."

Alucard had heard of children having nightmares and being afraid of the dark, but he had never been in such a situation. He was unsure of what to do. "Um…noises, what kind?"

"Like someone was in the room." She said, snuggling closer to him for protection.

Sighing, he knew what he had to do, "Seras, there is nothing in your room. The sounds you were hearing are normal, but to put your mind at ease, I'll go check; stay here." Resting her on the chair, he headed down the hall towards her room. Sensing and seeing nothing out of the ordinary he returned to his quarters.

He stopped in front of her. "Like I said, there's nothing in there; it's all clear."

Looking down at her feet, she gave him an 'Oh' barely above a whisper. Not wanting to be left alone, she tried to buy herself time. "So who was that guy?"

Amused at her pathetic attempt to change the subject, he played along. "He was my enemy for the longest time. He wanted my throne, and the only way he could have it was by defeating me. Somewhere amidst all the fighting, we became friends and he stopped trying to kill me. He was the strongest opponent I ever fought; I think, now, that may be why we ended up as friends; we had a mutual respect for each other's strength. Now, story time is over. It's time for you to go back to bed, little one." When she did not move, he pressed her. "Come on, let's go."

"Um, do you mind if I stay here… with you? I don't want to be alone."

Seras gazing at him with beseeching eyes, he sighed heavily again. "Very well." Alucard went over to his coffin and opened it up for her to get in.

Her face brightened as she got comfortable in his bed, waves of dark energy coiling around her body while she settled herself in. It was an amazing power, it almost felt as if it was drawing her deeper and deeper into his coffin. "Wow, what is that?"

"Never mind what it is; I'm letting you sleep here, so be quiet and go to bed." He returned to his chair and to the book he was reading.

Laying down, Seras nestled her body into the soft material and let the dark aura engulf her.

/

There was a frantic knock not moments before Walter burst through the door in a panic, disrupting Alucard's reading for the second time that night.

"Have you seen Miss Victoria? I went to check up on her but didn't find her in her room, and she's nowhere to be found in the castle!"

"Walter, if you want to wake up the child; you're doing a great job with that that noise."

Confused, he questioned, "Excuse me?"

"She is fine; she's sleeping here."

Upon hearing the soft breathing coming from the coffin, Walter went rigid from utter shock; Seras was sleeping in his master's coffin! He could not believe it; something was definitely wrong with the vampire. In all Walter's years of knowing him, he had never allowed anyone to _touch_ his coffin, and here, this child was _sleeping _in it.

"She's sleeping in your coffin?"

"So?"

"Alucard, you never allowed anyone in it. You told me the only ones allowed in it were you and your queen. You've never allowed any women to go near it."

"Walter, she's only a child; I don't think that applies. Regardless, it seems to like her presence." He said, studying her sleeping form intently.

"I do not question your motives, I even happen to enjoy Miss Victoria's company a lot; however, let me remind you, children grow up." With that being said, Walter apologized for his intrusion, and before leaving, placed a small box on the table in front of Alucard.

Alucard picked up the item and slipped it into the pocket of his overcoat. Phasing into a shirt, he slipped into his coffin and closed the lid. Most of the time he would sleep shirtless, but he felt uncomfortable with the idea of sleeping next to a child in such a state.

Finally enshrouded in darkness, Alucard let himself relax. Walter had a point; he had never shared his bed, not even with the women he slept with. There were other rooms for those occasions. That also allowed him to leave whenever he wanted; he never liked to be touched too much. It annoyed him that they always wanted to cuddle. Rubbing his face, he pushed the thoughts from his mind.

Together, both fell asleep, Seras snuggled close to his side.

/

Seras awoke to her name being called. Opening her eyes, she saw Walter kindly beaming down at her.

"Wakey wakey, Miss Victoria; I have been ordered by Alucard to get you dressed, fed, and escorted home."

Sitting up, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Why, isn't he going to take me?"

"No, my dear, not today; he has gone on a small trip and will not be back in time. Now come on, let's get you ready." Helping her out of the coffin, he started on his assigned tasks.

/

The moon shone brightly in the sky, bathing Alucard in its glow as he approached the building he recalled seeing within 'The Eye of the Gods.'

Tilting his head up, he studied the massive military base through yellow tinted goggles. Collecting his thoughts for a moment, he dissolved into a thick mass of fog. Phasing in and out of rooms, he came to one where he saw lights flashing on the control boards and two men working on a giant computer system. **'**_**This must be the main control room for the entire building.**_**' **Deciding it would be a good idea to stick around for a bit, he blended into the ceiling, watching closely.

"Marin, have you obtained the position of the naga?" A man with light blonde hair asked his comrade.

"No, this bitch is tough to track down. She's fast, _really_ fast. I just got word from the Hungarians; even their base was unable to catch her, but they did send us the coordinates where they lost her at the Romanian border."

"Man, this is ridiculous! These fuckers are multiplying too quickly; at this rate, we'll never be able to wipe all those filthy vermin off the face of the earth. I think I'm going to send a message to the head office in London; maybe boss can persuade the Queen to allow more Hellsing organizations around Europe. We'll need more if we want to successfully wipe all of them out."

"Yeah, seriously, I think it's a good idea so get on thahh-"

The other male did not turn away from the computer when he asked, "Dude, what's with you and never finishing your sentences? I swear you're worse than my mother." When he received no response, the man shifted his head to the right. "Marin?"

Turning, he scolded, "Marin, stop dicking arou-" The man's eyes widened in horror as he watched his friend being sucked dry.

"Vampire!"

Alucard dropped the meal he had been enjoying and saw the other man running towards the panic button. Appearing in front of him, he grabbed the soldier's arm and quickly twisted it so that the bones jutted out of the skin. Not allowing him time to scream in agony, Alucard pushed a thumb into the soft part of his throat; ceasing all sounds other than the faint gasps and gurgles of choking.

"Your hunting days are over; I'll see to that." Alucard hissed, but before he had a chance to react, the door burst open and a flood of troops crowded around him with guns aimed and at the ready.

One of the men in the group bellowed. "Drop him now, you motherfucker! I said, drop him!"

Grinning, he released the man and turned to face the troops. Stretching his neck from left to right, he said, "This is going to be fun."

He stepped forward and they opened fire, pumping dozens of bullets into Alucard's body.

The soldiers stood there puzzled; they could not believe that he was still standing! His shoulders shook as a dark chuckle emitted from his bowed head. Tilting his chin up, he saw the fear on each of their faces as he pushed the bullets from his body, and healed right before their petrified eyes.

"You think a few tiny bullets can defeat me?" His deep voice sent chills down the soldiers' spines. "Now, it's my turn!" He laughed sadistically.

Summoning his hell hounds, he released them from their binds. They shot forth from his arms and headed towards the frantic troops. It was a frenzy of erratic shrieking and blood splattering. The hounds ripped through the men as though they were sheets of paper, disemboweling and dismembering. Blood coated the walls. Calling back the hell hounds, Alucard could not resist the sweet smell of blood around him. Kneeling, he leaned into a puddle of warm, fresh blood. Slithering his long tongue out, he lapped it up; the taste was absolutely intoxicating.

Hearing a yelp from behind him, he turned and saw a young soldier, no older than nineteen, that had survived the carnage. Grinning, he stood up and walked towards the unfortunate lad, blood running down his chin. The boy lifted his gun in sheer terror and frantically unloaded bullets into the advancing vampire until his magazine ran dry.

"I can smell your fear; it's delicious." Getting close enough, he inhaled the adrenaline pumping through the trembling boy's veins.

"You-you're a mon-monster!"

Leaning in close to the boy's terrified face, Alucard smiled maliciously, "I know."

/

Letting the soldier's lifeless body drop to the floor he went around and collected the explosives from the corpses scattered around the room. Grabbing a detonator from the remaining half of a soldier's body, he proceeded to place them around the base. Once he was a good distance away from the Hellsing base, he pressed the little red button on the controller and disappeared into the night.

/

Barely escaping the impact of the explosion, a last surviving soldier of the Romanian Hellsing organization ducked into the bushes, afraid of being seen. In all his years of training and combat experience, he had never seen such a powerful vampire; one capable of this mass destruction in what was mere minutes.

Grabbing his cell phone he dialed a number. "This is General Portman, get the boss immediately!" Looking back at the carnage, now the burial ground of all his troops, he saluted in respect until a voice interrupted him mourning. "Sir, we have a serious problem."

/

Alucard was satisfied; he attained a tasty meal and a battle all in one night. Walking the dark streets, he felt a few humans staring at him. He heard their whispering but when he turned to acknowledge their presence, they abruptly looked away, pretending to be doing something. _**'Nosy humans, all talk but no walk.' **_He did not expect much from the pathetic creatures; at least they were smart enough to avoid his superiority or die.

Reaching his destination, Alucard looked up at the dim glow emitting from a small window. Curious, he ascended to look through it; he smiled at Seras, who was lying on her stomach in her frog nightie, drawing happily in her sketchbook. Phasing into her room, he leaned against the wall and listened to her soft singing. Glancing at her alarm clock, he noticed it was past midnight. He was amazed that she was still up, but reasonded her internal clock was probably all out of whack, considering she had slept through an entire day.

"You should be in bed, little one."

Startled, Seras looked up from what she was doing, and her eyes brightened at the sight of him. "Alucard!" Jumping to her feet, she ran to hug him.

Getting used of the feeling of being hugged and having his personal space invaded, he lifted her into his arms, embracing her. "What are you drawing, troublemaker?"

Squirming out of his hold, she padded over to her book and ran back to show him her masterpiece. "Look, it's me and Reaper playing, and that's you sitting on the bench."

The drawing actually looked more like brown and black blobs attached together, and an extremely poorly drawn Seras. As for him, he was a mass of red with uncontrollable hair and one eye noticeably larger than the other.

Taking the picture from her, he stifled a laugh. "It looks just like me."

Nodding excitedly, her eyes twinkled with pride.

He picked her up again and placed her on her bed. "It's time for bed."

Trying to keep down a yawn, she started to whine. "But I'm not tiiiiired."

"Sure you're not." Gently pushing her to lay back down, he tucked her under the covers. Sitting on the mattress, his long legs were slightly crossed due to how low it was to the floor. "I have something for you."

Pulling a necklace from his pocket, Alucard reached around her neck to pin it together. It was a simple tear shaped vial filled with red liquid. "This necklace is very special, Seras. I asked Walter to create it, so I want you to take good care of it. You do not have to worry about losing it because only you and I can remove it from your neck. That vial contains my blood so if you ever need me or find yourself in trouble, you can contact me. All you have to do is hold it and in your mind, think what you want to say to me and I will hear you. Try it."

Obeying, she clutched the necklace around her neck and tried to think of something to say. In the process, Alucard heard all her "um's", "uh's" and "what should I say." Laughing, he interrupted her thoughts. "Good enough; now go to bed." Making sure the blanket was securely wrapped around her; she mumbled a goodnight before she dozed off.

"Good night, little one," he whispered to her tired form. Standing up, he shut off the lights and left her to sleep.

**/**

**I would like to thank all my betas for editing my work! You did an amazing job!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from Hellsing. **

**Okay guys thanks for being sooooooooo patient with me, I had major writer's block! I hope you enjoy this chapter because I'll be really sad if you had to wait this long and be disappointed with the quality…there is nothing worse than that. Seriously, it drives me up the wall, haha.**

**/**

**Chapter 5: Growing up is never easy**

Seras's eyes flew open as the irritating buzz of her alarm clock sounded the start of a new day. She slammed her fist on the snooze button, and snuggled deeper into her comforter to capture a few more minutes of blissful sleep. These were the precious moments before she had to leave for the shit hole she liked to call her elementary school.

Her door opened abruptly, and she sat up bolt upright to face her intruder. Claudiu shuffled into the room, stopping as he passed the mirror to admire himself. Burying her head back into the pillow, she bellowed in a muffled voice, "GET OUT!"

"Shut up, Seras; it's time to get up. I need to make sure everything is ready for my date today, which means_ you_ have to be ready." He said, in a tone far too cheery for his usual self, while fixing his collar in the mirror.

Seras rolled her eyes dramatically, **'**_**So that's why he's so damn happy today. Just great, this is exactly what I need right now; a desperate father hopped up on a love-drug cocktail of **__**norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin**__**.' **_She thought, pulling herself up from the warm bed to get dressed. It was surprising that she remembered the chemicals' names from a science book she read once.

She faced her father, hands placed firmly on her hips, "Get out so I can get dressed." Her tone was irritated and petulant.

He froze briefly in front of the mirror and spun around to meet her eyes. Fear coursed through Seras's veins, but she stood her ground. She was past grovelling at her father's feet. The very least she had in this world was her dignity; a pride that would keep her from kneeling to anyone, for anything.

Alucard had taught her that. "You either fight with everything you have or cower under a rock like the pathetic human you have allowed yourself to become. Remember this, society has given you nothing; you owe them the same." They were strong words, but matched the harsh reality of things.

Advancing, he stopped before her. She waited for the blow. Instead, he simply stated, "I want you to be on your best behaviour, Seras; I want my date to be comfortable and see what a _wonderful _daughter I have."

Gently cupping her chin in his right hand, his eyes glazed over as if he was in deep thought, Claudiu took in her features. A slight smile played upon his face. "Every day you look more and more like your beautiful mother…" His eyes searched her face. Realizing suddenly what he was doing, he quickly snapped out of the trance, releasing her as if he had been burnt.

Clearing his throat, he added, "Like I said, I want you to be on your best behaviour." With that, he left the room in quick strides.

'_**Awkward,' **_Seras thought to herself.

Her father's actions did not surprise her. She knew why he was being so 'kindly' towards her. Whenever he found a new flavour of the month, his demeanour became that of a doting father, one who was proud of his daughter. Then, when things fell apart, as they always would, he was once again the violent, uncaring monster that Seras had grown up with. She was so used to this façade he perpetrated that it scarcely fazed her anymore.

Picking out her clothes, she shook her head in disgust. The prospect of going to school was as loathsome as returning to this house.

/

As she walked to school, Seras's mind began to wander. It had been just over four years since she met Alucard, and not a day went by that she did not think of him or pass by the field where they first met.

Touching the chain around her neck, she gently clasped the crimson vial that hung from it and smiled. He was always with her. They had grown quite close over the years, forming a bond that she had never thought possible since her mother's death.

Most people who had met Alucard, and lived to tell the tale, found him cruel and heartless. Seras knew better. Yes, he was malicious and sadistic to others; however, she knew him to be honest and kind. He was not the type to disclose his true feelings; it was the little things he did that showed he cared.

Why else would he have saved her, if there were not something inside of him that called for him to do so?

Her smile widened into something indomitable, reflecting the unassailable giddiness she felt welling inside her heart.

/

Arriving at school, Seras quickly made her way to her locker to grab textbooks for class. She could see from the corner of her eye that the taunting had already begun. **'**_**Honestly, don't these people have lives?' **_She watched a fellow classmate rubbing two balloons against his chest, imitating a pair of large breasts. It was pathetic that these people actually premeditated their pranks instead of getting a life and doing something productive with it.

Although, she had to admit, at least there was some accuracy to their teasing this time. At the young age of twelve, Seras Victoria's breasts were already a full C cup and growing. She found what most women would consider a blessing to be a curse. It was used as another tool of torture, making her more of an outsider than she already was.

Scoffing, she trudged past them; she was in too good of a mood to be bothered. **'Tomorrow is my birthday,'** she recalled, with another burst of happiness. She knew Walter and Alucard had planned some sort of surprise for her and she could hardly wait for the day to come.

The bell rang and she walked into class with her head held high.

/

"If a square has a base length of six inches, what is the area of the square?" Mrs. Miruna asked her sixth grade math class.

The boy sitting across from Seras quickly raised his eager hand to answer, "You multiply six by six, and that will give you thirty-six!" he chimed proudly.

'_**Brown-noser,' **_she thought to herself, miserably sinking deeper into her chair. She found math so utterly boring. All they did was work with numbers; it involved not the slightest vestige of creativity, unlike history and art. It did not help that she hated everyone in her class, either.

"Robin, Carol, Seras, and Andrei, would you please come up to the board and solve one of the questions presented?" Mrs. Miruna smiled at the groans heard from the unfortunate students.

All four stood and made their way towards the blackboard. Seras only got as far as the desk in front of hers before the back of the class was screaming in disgust. One girl shouted, "Ew, why don't you plug it up before coming to school?"

That was it. Seras turned to give her classmates a piece of her mind, then stopped dead in her tracks. _**'W-why do my pants feel wet?"**_

Horrified, she looked down to discover that her white shorts were no longer white; a large red stain covered the inside of her thighs and created a path to the back. Tears started to pour down her cheeks as the class laughed hysterically. Suddenly, a long raincoat was draped over her shoulders and Mrs. Miruna escorted her out of the classroom.

/

Mrs. Miruna stepped back into the room with a look on her face that demanded immediate silence. The children squirmed in extreme discomfort from the eerie reticence.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves; that poor girl is humiliated because of you! Does it feel good? Are you happy now that one of your fellow classmates is sitting in the office crying?"

"But Mrs. Miruna, it was a-"

"A JOKE? You think that was funny, because I found no humour in it whatsoever."

"We didn't mean to-"

"QUIET! I did not ask you to speak. Believe me, _ladies and gentlemen_," she sneered, "what happened today is not over. This situation will be dealt with and your parents will be informed of it; I assure all of you." She glared at the children, who sat with their heads bowed and eyes averted from hers. She walked over to her desk. "Open your textbooks to page one hundred and five and do questions one through eighteen. You have extra homework because of this little stunt; now get started."

Hushed whispers rose in the air, which were angrily muted in an instant. "In silence! I do not want to hear a peep from anyone; there has been enough homework assigned to easily fill not only this entire period, but some of the next so I suggest that you begin."

As ordered, the only noise to be heard was the sound of pencils frantically writing on paper.

/

"It's all right, Seras; this happens to all girls your age."

An utterly mortified Seras glowered at the secretary; she was in no mood to be reasoned with.

"So all girls get laughed at, humiliated, and picked on in the middle of class for getting their…" She could not finish her sentence; it was far too upsetting.

The secretary's mouth opened in shock. She tried to say some comforting words, but found instead that her mouth simply flapped opened and closed like a fish out of water. Embarrassed, the secretary clamped her mouth shut. Clearing her throat, she stood from where she had been kneeling in front of Seras and walked into the back room with as much dignity she could muster.

Seras sat in the main office quietly, waiting for the secretary to return. She felt dirty and bloated. Why did this have to happen to _her_?

She looked up when she heard the secretary return; the woman was holding something in her hand. "This is a sanitary napkin, and this is a video tape to help you transition yourself into this new stage of life. The bathroom is through that door to your left and the TV is already set up; just pop in the tape and press play." She then retreated to her corner desk, refusing to look back up.

Seras stared at the items miserably. With the last shred of pride she had, she picked herself up and shuffled her way to the bathroom.

Sitting on the toilet, facing the blank TV screen, her hands shook uncontrollably. The video had been a nightmare of how to properly apply pad and help keep 'fresh'. _**'I can't believe this is actually happening to me! I might as well crawl under a rock and die. No one will ever let me live this down; I'll never hear the end of it! I'll be the laughingstock of the whole school 'till graduation!'**_

With her pad securely in place, she wandered back into the treacherous hallways in defeat.

/

Seras walked with her head hung low. She could not see them, but there was a distinct buzzing around her which made it clear that people were still gossiping about her horrific experience. She tried her best to ignore them and thankfully, no one approached her about it.

Even with the track pants she was given, she felt sticky and gross. All she wanted was for the bell to ring, so she could sprint back to the house and wash away her humiliation.

X

Seras was relieved to be sitting in history, her favourite subject and the last class of the school day, of which it was _usually _the best part.

Standing in front of the class was a short, rather stout old man, whose smile and jolly persona could brighten anyone's damp day. Mr. Wadim was a kind man; he reminded Seras of Professor Flitwick from Harry Potter, though he was much taller, and lacked the long white beard. He enjoyed telling tales from his younger years and making what must be the most terrible puns. Seras could not understand how this man was so happy all the time; she would have been exhausted from all the laughing.

"Good afternoon, class! Lovely to see those young, eager-to- learn faces. I noticed all of you running around today, trying to make it from class to class. I would just like to remind you; it's okay to relax and kick back a little. You don't want to be 'Russian' through life!"

Watching their teacher grip his round stomach as he chuckled heartily, it took the class a moment for the class to register what he said. As the pun settled in, they joined him in a chorus of forced laughter.

"Okay, let's get down to business! Today we will be starting our new chapter, Romania: The Empire Period. Let us go back a few thousand years into the fifteenth century and dive into the lives of people living in the fourteen hundreds. This unit will be focusing on some major figureheads of the time, the invasion of the Turkish Army, Diseases and Epidemics, Romanian/Transylvanian Economics and much more. Personally, this is one of my favourite units; full of danger, blood," Seras flinched from awful irony, "And excitement. So hop on the learning train, gang, and fasten your seatbelts; it's going to be one heck of a ride!"

Seras could not help but smile at his enthusiasm; she envied his wondrous buoyancy. If only her own life could seem as blissful and happy. Trying to snap out of her wallowing, she flipped to the page they were on and listened to the lecture, letting it take her on a journey away from this place.

/

"This has been the worst day of my life," Seras told herself dryly. She was lying in bed after having dragged herself upstairs to the bathroom, where she had stood for an hour under the shower's steaming water. Tired of staring at the cold ceiling above her, she shut her eyes to block out the empty canvas. With a heavy sigh, she slowly opened them, as if expecting that she had somehow been transported to a better place. Her eyes drew together into slits as she scowled at the ceiling for not granting her wish.

Feeling a slight discomfort from below, she peeled herself from the bed to recommence her 'cleansing' of the 'wonderful' grime that would now be there, once a month, for the next forty years of her life.

Slamming the door shut, Seras irritably hit the unfortunate woof with her forehead several times before proceeding to shower, again.

/

She was sitting on the ground, finishing her homework, when she remembered her father's orders to be ready for the evening. She groaned inwardly; dealing with a drunken father was one thing, but to have the same man pretend as though they were the perfect family was disgusting to her. _Broken by a tragic death, the hardship of a young girl to care for, a longing for someone to help fill the emptiness he felt inside. _She wanted nothing to do with the whole façade. She did not want to pretend she was happy, she wanted to _be_ happy.

The outfit Seras wore was simple: a black tank top under a velvet black cardigan, trimmed with lace at the hem and cuffs, and a black Victorian skirt that ruffled at the bottom. Since this evening was going to make her feel as though she were slowly dying, she thought it appropriate to dress for the occasion.

Stepping in front of her mirror, she looked herself over in approval. Her outfit matched well with the necklace Alucard had given her; it made her look dark and more mature.

Hearing the doorbell, she took one last look in the mirror and sighed. _**'Let the torture begin,' **_she thought as she walked out the door.

/

Her father never cooked, but on these occasions, he would muster up enough energy to buy a premade dinner and pop it in the oven because he wanted to share a special "home cooked meal" with his guest. It was revolting to watch the women eat up just about anything her father gave to them, including the food. Were people generally this dumb, or was it only the ones he came across?

Seras sat at the table, staring daggers at their new houseguest. Rachael, her father's 'guest', shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, trying to ignore their eyes on her. "Thank you so much for inviting me to dinner; this smells wonderful. You shouldn't have gone through all that trouble."

"Oh, well, you know, I thought it would be nice to share an enjoyable meal together, and of course, introduce you to my lovely little princess, Seras. I don't get to do this much, since I work night and day to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table."

Seras gagged slightly as Claudiu motioned for Rachael to come over to the table. He placed the 'home cooked' lasagne on a hot plate. Seras bit back a snide comment as she watched father pull out the chair next to hers. Mother's seat.

"You're such an incredible man, raising a child alone; it must be difficult. You must work so hard to provide for the two of you."

Rage bubbled inside Seras as she watched the creature get comfortable in her mother's seat.

"Yes, it is tough-"

"That's my Mother's seat." Seras's icy tone brought the tension already present in the room to unsurpassable heights.

"Seras, that was rude and uncalled for; apologize." Claudiu spoke sternly. His eyes narrowed, telling her to drop it.

Boldly ignoring his silent threat, she stared her father down, challenging him. "No. That's Mother's spot; no one sits there but Mother. She has to move."

Her father's eyes blazed. "Seras, that is enough!"

"No, no, let's not start fighting. It really isn't such a big deal; I'll move." Greatly relieved to flee the impertinent child, Rachael switched to the seat farthest from Seras. "See, no harm done. I wasn't looking to upset you, princess; I hope you'll forgive me."

Seras had a pretty image in her head of a thorn tiara wrapping itself around Rachael's neck. "Of course." The tension subsided as Seras fell silent once more.

The dinner was quite awkward; while Seras's eyes bore holes into the side of Rachael's skull, Claudiu tried to distract her with light conversation to distract her and glared menacingly at Seras every chance he had.

"That is a very interesting necklace you have there, Seras," Rachael pointed out. "I've seen those types of jewellery coming out more and more lately; I believe they're called blood jewellery. It's a big thing in that 'Goth culture' now. Is that why you wear it, Seras; are you a Goth?"

Seras's mouth dropped at the nerve this woman had; she did not know whether to take it as a compliment or an insult. The broad was as dumb as a doorknob, making it highly possible that she had just said the first thing to enter her mind. Deciding to have some fun, she plastered on a familiar sadistic smirk that she had learned from Alucard himself.

"No, that is not why I wear it. I wear this because it protects me from demons and other kinds of creatures, like araneas, hags, and ogres. Ther other necklaces you see are fakes, filled with artificial blood; they hold no magical component, and exist only to make their wearer look more 'fashionable'."

Both adults stared stupidly at her, then started to chuckle.

"Don't be silly, Seras; I think you need to stop reading so many fairy-tale books. They're getting to your head," her father mocked.

"Honey, those creatures are just in stories; they don't exist in real life. I think you're old enough to pull your head of out the clouds and start living in reality. It's not healthy to still be living in a fictional world," Rachael said, gaving Seras a fake smile.

Seras's callous smirk grew even wider as she peered straight into the eyes of the woman across from her. "That is exactly what they want you to think before they rip open your jugular, tear out your oesophagus and digestive tract, then proceed to devour both you and your soul."

Upon hearing Rachael's shocked gasp, Claudiu slammed his fist against the table. "Seras, that is quite enough! If you do not stop, I'll have to send you to your room!"

As she hoped that he would, another awkward silence settled over the room, leaving everyone uncomfortable but Seras. It was broken moments later when Rachael cleared her throat and tried once more to make pleasant conversation.

"So, Seras, how is school going?"

"I got my period today in class." She took enormous pleasure in seeing her father's eye twitch.

"Oh dear, you don't have cramps, do you? They can tend to make you cranky," Rachael simpered.

Seras was not amused. If anyone, especially some low-life bimbo, implied that she was acting like a bitch, they were asking for it.

"No, I think I've just been cranky since my mom killed herself. It tends to happen-"

"_Seras!" _Claudiu's face was bulging red like a ripe tomato.

"I'm not being rude, Dad; I am just correcting her assumption. You see, I don't mind talking about my mother."

"Seras, I don't think Rachael-"

"She hung herself; I don't know if you knew. I was the one who found her."

"Really, princess, I didn't mean to impose." Rachael's face was sheet white.

The nickname set a new flame to Seras's rage. "It was funny, you know? I heard the coroner and the medical examiner talking about it afterwards. You know what they said? They weren't sure if it was the broken neck that killed her or the bruises all over-"

"_SERAS! Go to your room this instant!"_

Seras grinned maliciously. "Was it something I said?"

_**/**_

"I'm so sorry; she's usually not like this. I don't know what has gotten into her." Dramatically placing his face in his hands, Claudiu gently shook his head, playing his assumed role quite well.

Buying into his pathetic display, Rachael draped her arms around him and spoke warmly. "I know you try hard, but she's still hurting from her mother's death. Maybe I should go up there and talk to her."

"No, no, I think she's fine. Why don't we carry on with the meal? I don't want it to go to waste."

"Nonsense, she just needs another woman to connect with and relate to. I'll be back in a moment; you won't even know I'm gone." Gently kissing his cheek, she headed upstairs.

_/_

Lounging on her giant green bean bag, Seras was sketching random objects around her room and feeling quite pleased with herself when she was interrupted by a soft knock at the door. Rolling her eyes, she called out for the intruder to enter.

Rachael walked in, wearing with one of her nauseatingly sweet smiles. Gesturing to the empty spot on the floor next to Seras, she politely asked, "May I?"

"Go for it."

Settling herself down, she turned to Seras. "You know, sweetie, I understand that this must be hard for you to cope with, having your mother gone and another woman come into your life. However, you need to give you father some credit, he loves you very much and he's trying really hard."

Seras felt a monster lurch inside of her. If Rachael had been any closer, she would have ripped out her throat.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Rachael spoke again. "When I was your age, I acted the same way. You see, my parents were always very hard on me, but being mean and taking it out on others won't make you feel better. You shouldn't be so selfish, you know; your father can't do this on his own."

There was nothing to hold back her fury this time. The monster inside growled with animalistic hunger.

"Well if you need anyone to talk to, I'm a real good listen-"

"Okay, then; shut up and listen. One, don't ever act like you understand what goes on in this house because once the shithead downstairs is done fucking your brains out, that is, if there are ant to begin with, he'll be back to his drunken, abusive self. Two, my mother is dead; I'm glad I never had the chance to have a sister, for a good reason. If ever I found myself unfortunate enough to have you as a friend, I would have to shoot myself for ever wanting to be friends with a mindless, cock-sucking slut! Three, if you ever call me princess again, I will rip your pretty little tongue out of _your useless fucking head_!"

Rachael's face morphed from its earlier saccharine form into a hollow-eyed mask; all the faux pleasantries disintegrated, revealing the creature's evil. "Now it's my turn to talk you little bitch? Just because your mommy offed herself, doesn't mean that's going to supply you with some lifelong sympathy. I don't give a shit about getting close to you; I bet if your father had the choice, he'd have given you to some boarding school long ago. Of course, the kind soul that he is, he didn't; so you can pretend like the world is against you, but nobody gives a shit!" Rachael got up and walked to the door. "Oh, and by the way, stop that demon bullshit; how old are you, five?" With that, she left.

"It's nice to know people can be honest," Seras said loudly enough to be heard by the skank heading downstairs.

/

It was a quarter to midnight, and Seras could finally feel herself finally dozing off when a faint banging sound against her wall woke her. It started slow, but became more frequent, accompanied by throaty moans and profanity.

Disgusted, she wrapped her pillow around her head, trying to drown out the sounds, but to no avail. The sickening noises penetrated the walls of her precious haven, and there was nothing she could do to mask them.

Seras kicked off her covers in irritation and grabbed her boom box, placing it beside her. As soon as she pressed the play button, the song "Change" by the Deftones spewed from the speakers and numbed her senses. All the obscene noises faded into nothingness, inside of her however, the rage beneath the surface had not been lifted; but she did not mind it, in fact, she welcomed it. There had always been this… 'thing' inside of her, lying dormant, waiting to be awakened. She felt it steer her the day she met Alucard and now, she could feel it changing her, morphing her into something else. _He _was changing her. Alucard had shown her such terrifying wonders; he had been the one who urged her to embrace to the darkness she had always possessed.

She liked what she was becoming; it made her feel so alive, so much stronger, so much like what her mother would have wanted her to be.

Allowing the stoic lullaby to work its mantra, she quickly fell into a deep slumber that nothing but the light of a new day could awake her from.

/

"Can I know now?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

"But that's not an answer!"

"For the love of God, Seras; shut up. I told you, you're not getting your gift until after dinner. I have work to do right now, so stop pestering me; you're constantly around me, it's God damn annoying." Alucard scolded Seras as they walked down the hallway to his office. "Why don't you go bother Walter? I'm sure he has a whole bunch of odd, new experiments to show you."

Huffing with impatience, Seras turned on her heel and started for the tower. "Fine, but I'm not going home tonight. The idiot is eating a new flavour of the month, and I don't want to be there when things get _sticky_!"

Alucard smiled at her lewd analogy. As she passed him, a peculiar smell tickled his nose. Grabbing Seras's arm before she could walk any further, his unease grew when he realized that she smelled of blood and strong perfume.

'_**How did I miss that?'**_

"Are you hurt, Seras?" Alucard asked sternly. He was confused as to why he could smell such a great amount of blood without any visible sign of injury. Why would Seras even do something so uncharacteristic as wear perfume?

"No, I'm fine," she replied, shuffling her feet uncomfortably. She had hoped the perfume would have masked the scent of her blood.

Staring at her suspiciously, he began to search her body for open wounds. "I smell blood; has someone harmed you?"

Sears jerked away from him defensively, "Nothing's wrong." Her cheeks tinted pink, betraying her.

Taken aback by her actions, Alucard narrowed his eyes warningly. "You're hiding something from me; I would suggest that you tell me before I_ make_ you."

Seras was more than a little annoyed that every time she did not want to share her feelings, he would threaten to read her mind. Glaring as menacingly as she could, she challenged him. She could not tell him something so… female.

'_**God, I can't believe he could smell it; this is so embarrassing!' **_She thought to herself, mortified.

Angered by her audacious behaviour, Alucard stripped away the layers of her mind to find what she had hidden from him. The attained answer was not one he had been expecting; now, he saw the reason for her reluctance to discuss the subject.

The mortified girl stood before him, red faced and teary eyed. He willed himself to think of something comforting to say.

'_**Fuck, this was not supposed to happen; she's only twelve! Shit, what am I supposed to tell her… I'm not cut out for this fucking stuff; this should be done by a woman…or Walter.'**_

Rubbing his temples, he sighed deeply and knelt down. "Seras, you should not be embarrassed by this… change. It is natural; every woman goes through it-"

"Oh, please, just don't!" Her eyes practically rolled out of the back of her head.

"_What I would like to say_," he gritted out through clenched teeth. "Is that it's normal, but it may put you in danger. A creature could smell that blood, and where would you be then?"

"Well, sorry I wasn't jumping for joy to tell you! This is a big deal for me, okay? You could be a little more sensitive about it." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I apologize for being so aggressive, but we've spoken about this before. You can't keep these things like that from me, if you try, I'll only think the worst." He lifted her chin slightly to look at him.

She nodded in understanding and hugged him fiercely. "I promise I won't."

Alucard shook his head in relief as she disappeared around the corner to find Walter.

/

Alucard sat at his desk, quietly contemplating the recent revelation. How had four years gone by so fast? When had he grown so accustomed to having Seras around? It was not the many troubles of an adolescent girl that alarmed him, but the fear that something might happen to Seras now that she was so vulnerable. It was the fact that he felt that way at all.

"Stressed, much?"

Alucard had sensed the intruder before his familiar voice filled the room.

"You have no idea." Looking up to see Incognito, he cocked a brow. "Don't you know how to knock?"

"Yes, but it is much more fun this way. You owe me, anyway; I've come to your human's birthday." Watching Alucard lean back into his chair, he inquired, "So what's got your panties in a knot?"

Staring at Incognito sceptically, Alucard took a few moments to debate the wisdom of confiding in his friend. He had did have a valid inclination to do so, seeing as Incognito was anything but sympathetic. He also knew the affect blood had on a creature who cared little for self-control and rarely suppressed his urges.

"Seras is… a woman."

Incognito stared at Alucard, visibly dumbstruck. "When did you figure that one out, Sherlock? Was it the tits? I hear those are a dead giveaway." Suddenly, something clicked and a jeering smile played across his face. "Are you worried that your little baby is growing up too fast? Aw, it's okay; health care is very advanced these days. I give her sixty-five more years before she dies. What's that, like, six months for our kind?"

"Fuck off, you prick. I can still rip you apart, right here, right now." Alucard warned with a glare.

"Whoa, sorry to offend; I wasn't aware that the stick in your ass had shifted sideways," Incognito snickered.

Cracking a smirk, Alucard shook his head. "If it wasn't for the apparent fact that I enjoy your company enough to tolerate, I'd kill you. The reason I brought it up was because I don't want you killing her while she's bleeding, and don't bring it up either; she's sensitive about it. I'm serious, Incognito; I don't care how much the scent draws you. Ignore it."

Incognito rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I understand; no eating or teasing the human. Got it; anything else?"

"Yes, hand me that blood wine before we head down to the celebration."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Incognito leered. "You got any _women_ to go with that wine?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

A crooked grin spread across Alucard's face, and laughed lecherously.

/

A flock of servants began serving dinner along the royal banquet table. Eagerly, Seras made a beeline for her seat. In her hunger and excitement, she did not notice Incognito in her path, looking at a statue. As she whisked by, she bumped into his arm and a resounding smash was heard as his cup fell to the floor. Blood drained from her face as she recognized who he was. Slowly, she turned to stare at the intimidating purple friend of Alucard's.

"Oh…my…God, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to; I swear I didn't see you!"

Looking down at the pieces of his supper, he scowled at Seras. "You're lucky you're under Alucard's protection, human." He snapped his finger at one of the servants to clean up the mess and stalked past her haughtily.

Angered and somewhat prone to being what Walter liked to call a 'shit disturber', she shouted after him. "I have a name, you know! It's Seras, S-e-r-a-s!"

Raising an eyebrow, his lip curled at the scent that assaulted his hypersensitive nose. "Apparently so." A nasty gleam sparkled in his repulsive eye. "Nice perfume, it smells delicious."

Watching her face turn red, he laughed and proceeded on.

"We'll see who's laughing when I pour holy water in your drink," Seras mumbled to herself, stomping towards the dinner table.

Seeing Alucard enter the room, Incognito ignored the girl's remark. Of course he had heard what she said; she should have known by now how keen a vampire's hearing is. He could hear every thump that her juicy heart made within the confines of her chest.

'_**This kid's got spunk; no wonder Alucard keeps her around. For a human, she has some balls talking back to me; it's actually quite entertaining.'**_

_**x**_

Seras dug into the mouth-watering feast before her. She was triumphantly stuffing her face with the best meal she had had in weeks. It was odd for her, though, with only Walter eating beside her. A thought crossed her mind.

"Alucard, do you miss eating?"

"No, it has been so long that I rarely think about it anymore. I did more so when I was new at being a vampire, when the memory of how things tasted was still fresh in my mind."

"I disagree," Incognito interjected. "I never craved food after being turned."

Turning his attention to his friend, Alucard replied insolently, "I'm not surprised; you didn't eat much food to begin with, being a cannibal and all."

Seras's eyes widened in shock. "YOU ATE PEOPLE!"

"No." Incognito declared, glaring at Alucard.

Ignoring the look, Alucard continued, "Yes, he even ate his wife and baby, after roasting them on an open fire, as a sacrificial offering to the Gods for rain." He nodded at Seras for further confirmation.

"OH MY GOD!"

"No, shut up, Alucard; I did not eat my wife and child!"

Alucard cackled derisively at his friend's reaction. "You're just angry because you did it for nothing."He turned back to Seras and stated in mockingly mournful tone, "It didn't ever rained after that."

Staring down at her food, she poked her meat questionably. "I don't think I'm very hungry anymore."

Walter finally cut in. "I hate to be the party pooper here, but Miss Victoria, stop picking at your food; it is beef. As for you," he said, looking pointedly at Alucard. "Stop egging him on; if you're going to tell a story, tell it right." He gave her a comforting pat on the hand and smiled reassuringly. "Miss Victoria, Incognito did not eat his wife and child; he murdered them and threw their dead bodies over a bridge."

Seras stared blankly at him and replied sarcastically, "Thanks, that's very reassuring,"

"Well, what was I supposed to do? She gave me no choice. I found her in bed with another man and realized the baby wasn't mine; there was no other solution." Incognito shrugged briefly and went on nursing his drink.

'_**Uh, divorce?' **_Seras thought reproachfully.

Disbelief painted her features as her mouth hung slightly open. They were acting as if this conversation was the most casual thing in the world.

Tipping his glass to her, Alucard spoke, bearing one of his trademark grins as he did so. "Happy birthday, Seras."

/

"Do I really _have_ to be blindfolded for this?"

"Of course, how else will we be able to push you out the window?" Incognito replied.

Seras stuck up her middle finger towards what she assumed to be his direction.

"You little brat!"

"Better than an ugly purple freak!"

Incognito's eyes flashed red and his hand darted out to grab the offending finger. Before he could snap it off, however, Alucard had seized him by the shirt collar, and pushed him roughly up against the cold wall next to them.

"What did I tell you; can you not follow one simple rule? If you ever dare to try to touch her again, the consequences will be severe!" A dark aura began to emanate from Alucard as the two immortals stared each other down.

Violently, Incognito shoved the livid vampire off him. "What's with you and that human? It's sickening." Shaking his head in disgust, he strode away. "If you need me, I'll be in my room."

Alucard frowned at Seras. "Stop being a shit disturber; Incognito won't put up with your attitude like I do. He'd snap you in two before you could blink an eye."

Smiling mischievously at him, she countered. "I learned from the best."

Walter chuckled warmly, putting his two cents in. "The funny thing is that it's true."

As they walked further, Alucard gave into his playful urges and allowed Seras to bump into something.

"Ow, what the hell?" She said to no one in particular, given that her vision was impaired.

"Forgive me; it seems you've already acquainted yourself with the surprise."

"What! Where?" Seras could barely contain herself.

Alucard slowly untied the blindfold at an infuriatingly slow pace, adding to the overwhelming anticipation.

"Happy birthday, Seras."

"Oh my god! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Screaming, she ran over to her new art table: it was handmade, equipped with drawing pencils of varying size and thickness, sketch books, 'How-To' drawing books, and a wide assortment of paints and pastels.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she ran her hands over the smooth surface of the beautiful desk; she hugged both of them with all the strength that she could muster. "Thank you so much, guys; this has been the best birthday ever."

"I'm glad you like it, Seras; it is yours to use whenever you see fit and to help you stay out of my hair when Alucard pawns you off on me," Walter teased with a friendly chuckle.

"Thanks," she said dryly. Her sardonicism abruptly changed to confusion. "How did you manage to get all this stuff? It must have cost a fortune!"

Alucard chortled sadistically. "Oh, I have my ways."

She covered her ears. "I don't want to know."

/

"But why can't I stay?" Seras asked for what seemed to be the billionth time.

"Seras, we've been over this; you cannot live with me." Alucard answered in irritation. He had been dreading the question all night. She seemed to have made a habit of it.

"I know we've talked about it, but that doesn't explain why."

"I am not your parent. I cannot watch over you in the way you hope for. Think of this merely as a vacation from home."

"I'd rather it be a permanent vacation."

Alucard sighed. "Seras I know it seems wonderful now, and I'm… happy I could have done that for you, but…" Incognito's callous words burned in the back of his mind with striking clarity_. Sixty five years, six months for our kind._ "There is so much you are going to do that I can't be a part of."

"Why not? I don't understand; if you don't want me around, why don't you just say it!"

Alucard's eyes filled with a fury that had Seras shrinking away from him in unease. "Do not speak to me in such an ungrateful tone. You are learned for your age, but you still cannot comprehend the gravity of these situations. I want what is best for you and all of this… is not."

An listlessness settled over the pair. They sat in a heavy silence.

"Alucard?" Seras spoke in a small voice. "I'm sorry."

"I know you are, child." He allowed her to nestle into the warmth of his shoulder.

"Do you still want me around, then?" She enquired in a pleading whisper.

Should he promise her lies, something he had no means of knowing whether or not he could keep? Alucard thought upon his earlier troubles. When did he start to feel this way? Why?

"Of course, Seras," he answered in a comforting tone. "Forever and always if I could."

He watched her drift into a blissful sleep; a fear crept into his mind. _If I could, _but one cannot overcome death. Not unless one is immortal.

X

"I don't understand; why a human?" Incognito asked Walter.

"I do not know the answer to that question, either; what I do know is that she gives him something to look forward to, if nothing else. Living forever can be very lonely, as you may or may not know. I am very grateful for Miss Victoria; she's made the castle a livelier place. If only you would give her a chance. Being raised by a vampire has made her unlike normal humans." Walter left Incognito with this to ponder his words.

Incognito looked back at the scene and shook his head. _**'Alucard, you're becoming weak.'**_

/

It was an unpleasant awakening to be dropped off at her father's house after such a wondrous night. As Seras walked through the door, her nose was assaulted with the smell of smoke, alcohol and body odour. Scrunching her face in disgust, she moved further into the miasma, to remove her shoes. Sitting at the dinner table was her father and three other men she had never seen before, playing poker.

'_**Ugh, when it isn't floosy bimbettes, it's crack dealers and alcoholics.' **_Seras thought bitterly.

She had been staring too long and had caught the attention of one of the men. He winked at her, and Seras recoiled in repulsion. His smirk alerted the men beside him to her presence; they turned and stared. Seras sprinted up the steps, away from their leering eyes, and into the confines of her room.

She lay down and began reading the book which Ms. Florea had given to her, _"A Little Princess." _It was one of her favourites; she could read it for hours on end.

After some time, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" She yelled absentmindedly, assuming it was her father.

The door opened to reveal one of the men from the dinner table.

"Get out," she warned.

He smiled. "But you said I could come in."

A cold shiver ran down Seras's back as uncontrollable fear wracked her body. "I thought you were my dad; now, get out."

"Well, if you want, I can be your daddy." The man retorted suggestively, undressing her with his eyes.

"GET OUT!" Seras saw another one come out from behind the first man. It was all becoming so surreal; her worst nightmare playing out before her eyes. She went to stand up, but one of the men forced her back down. She might have been ferocious for her age, but the sheer mass of each man was enough to immobilize her.

Terror surged through Seras as she tried in vain to free herself from their depraved clutches. The first man grabbed a pair of socks, which he used to gag her, and then held her down as the other worked on his strained jeans, licking his lips in anticipation.

"Look at this beauty, what juicy tits you have there, you little slut." The man's revolting words had Seras seething with madness. She wanted to see them ripped apart, wanted to watch them die.

At the sound of her clothes ripping, tears poured down Seras's face. Her shirt was torn from her body and the second male latched his mouth onto her breast, roughly sucking on the sensitive flesh. She cried harder, disgusted with how vile she felt. Her pants soon accompanied the torn shirt on the floor. While the second male was busy, the first one pried her legs open, roughly shoving his fingers inside of her, and bit down harshly on her nipple. Seras wailed into her gag.

"You sure are a feisty one; let's see if your fire can handle mine!"

The depths he pursued tore through her soul as if he had reached in and cut it from her. What she had imagined of pain could not compare to this anguish. Seras could not reach her necklace, but she prayed that he could hear her. _**"Please, save me, Alucard." **_Her tears persisted._** "ALUCARD!" **_Nothing was real any longer, save for the incessant pulsing back and forth.

x

"_**ALUCARD!" **_

A surge of distress threatened to slice open the vampire's cold heart. He had been talking with Incognito for the past hour and a sensation of unease had been creeping up inside him. _**'Why hadn't I recognized it before!'**_

"We need to go, now!"

Incognito frowned in confusion. "Go where? What's wrong?"

Taking hold of his friend's arm, he said, "I think this is a wonderful night for some bloodshed!"

x

The scene that played before both vampires' eyes as they entered the room shocked them to the core. Vehemence consumed Alucard; his eyes bled red and a foreboding aura seeped from every fibre of his being as he witnessed a man thrusting into Seras's trembling body while another held her down.

Snarling, he tore both men off of her and hurled them across the room. Protectively scooping up Seras's bloody and tattered body, he turned to Incognito. "The men are yours; do with them as you please!"

Within seconds, a symphony of breaking bones, tearing flesh, and splattering blood, filled the room. Hearing all the commotion upstairs, the third male and Claudiu burst through the door. Alucard gently placed Seras on her beanbag chair, draping his burgundy overcoat around her.

Refocusing on the carnage, he made easy work of the spare male. Tackling him against the wall, he dug his claws deep into the man's throat; gripping the trachea firmly, he ripped the respiratory tract clean out. He watched with a vindictive satisfaction as the man dropped dead to the floor.

Claudiu was his special orchestral ending. Alucard had been waiting for this moment to come for years. Picking him up by the throat, he watched Claudiu suffocate from the pressure. Alucard took one claw and used it to slowly slice open his stomach. Guts and blood poured out, splattering against the hardwood. He caught Claudiu's intestines as they fell, wrapping them around his enemy's neck, taking the time to enjoy the sight of his bulging face as it turned purple from asphyxiation. Finally, Alucard reached beneath the paper thin cloth and grasped Claudiu's genitals hard. Even in such agony, Claudiu could still feel his most sensitive parts being pried from his body, before they were shoved ruthlessly into his mouth.

Alucard's face was contorted with rage; even a kill such as this could not sate the vampire's fury. He was inconsolable as he spat in the man's face. "What I do now could never be enough!"

Claudiu's eyes rolled back, never to gaze upon the world again.

The nauseating stench of blood and death filled the room.

Alucard ran to Seras, taking her dazed, ashen face into his hands. "I'm so sorry, Seras. I'm so sorry I was not here sooner."

Suddenly, the smell of burning flesh wafted through the air. Looking behind him, he saw that the bed had been set ablaze. "What do you think you're doing?" Alucard shouted at Incognito.

"What do you think; we need to get rid of the evidence! Or do you just want to leave this bloodbath here?" As the fire devoured half of the room, the faint sound of sirens approached from the street outdoors. "Leave the girl outside!"

"Are you crazy? I will not leave her here!"

"If you take her, Alucard, everyone will think she died. She needs to stay with the humans, leave her outside! She will be in good hands!"

He knew that Incognito was right; he could not force Seras to live in his world of darkness and trepidation. Phasing out of the room and floating down to the ground, he placed Seras outside of her burning house and reluctantly vanished.

/

Seras awoke to a scene so chaotic, it was able to further disturb her already discombobulated mind. She turned to see several firefighters trying futilely to douse the growing flames of her now demolished house. _**'Everything…gone. It's all gone. My sketchbook… Mother.' **_She could not even will herself to form tears; she was far too numb to feel anything anymore. A police officer seemed to be trying to speak with her, but all she could hear was the loud ringing in her ears. Trying to focus on the officer, she felt herself falling, and then… darkness.

/

**I would like to thank ****Anime WarriorSkye, Cecilia, and Heather for editing my work! You did an amazing job! 3**


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